A huge number of species of bacteria, microorganisms, animals, plants, and trees, in short, all living parts live on our planet and together they form a beautiful whole called biodiversity. It sounds logical, because “bios” means life in Latin. Until a few millennia ago, when there were not so many of us, we humans lived in harmony with fauna and flora. This has not been the case for several centuries, the fauna and flora have been forcibly displaced by us, humans. Although let’s be honest, the plants and animals were here long before us. How long will our planet tolerate this?
What exactly is biodiversity and why is it so important?
Biodiversity and its definition are clear – all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area. The variety of microorganisms, bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Each of these living organisms works together in symbiosis, and together they form an ecosystem. The balance in this ecosystem is very fragile, so even the slightest disturbance (such as the multiplication of one germ or the extinction of one type of plant) has far-reaching consequences.
The ecosystem has been evolving on the planet for more than 65 million years. When the first humans came (2.4 to 1.4 million years before Christ), the gradual extinction of certain animal and plant species began. To put it simply, we humans have gradually started to displace plants and animals at the expense of our needs. For a while, it worked, and people and the ecosystem worked in symbiosis. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, mass extinctions began to take place on Earth.
The gradual reduction of biodiversity has taken its toll, and according to scientists, we are currently in a period of sixth mass extinction, the so-called Anthropocene extinction. In the last 40 years alone, species such as the Sunda Tiger, the Nigerian Gorilla, and the Sumatran Elephant have rapidly reached the brink of extinction. More and more species are endangered every day.
Without biodiversity, humanity will not survive
Researchers estimate that we have lost up to 68% of the wild vertebrate population in the last 50 years. In the same period, the human population has doubled from 3.7 billion to the current 7.9 billion.
What threatens us in the event of further biodiversity loss?
– Habitat destruction: rainforest felling, which has been going on for years, has resulted in the extinction or relocation of species, which is not natural, and the risk of transmitting various animal viruses to humans.
– Overexploitation: the more people, the greater the demands on food, timber, oil, and minerals, leading to the plundering of depletable natural resources.
– Climate change: emissions and carbon footprints left by people are enormous. In addition to the increase in temperature, the air pollutes to the level of non-breathability. Already today, countries in the world with huge populations (China and India) have problems with air quality in big cities.
– Pollution: an infestation of the planet with plastics and microplastics has been felt for a long time. Recently, scientists have discovered even microplastics in human blood! In addition to plastics, pollution of rivers and water sources with chemicals, drugs, and antibiotics is on the rise. Everything we throw in nature will simply return to us.
– Invasive species: Another problem with human travel and relocation is the spread of invasive animal species to areas that are not their natural habitat. For example, bringing cats and rabbits to Australia has brought smaller domestic animals and the plants that serve them as food to the level of extinction. All this results in a disturbance of the natural ecosystem.