Biodiversity Loss
Primary reference(s)
IPBES, no date. Glossary: Biodiversity loss. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Accessed 20 December 2019.
Additional scientific description
Human actions currently threaten more species with global extinction than ever before. An average of around 25% of species in assessed animal and plant groups are threatened, suggesting that around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss. Without such action, there will be a further acceleration in the global rate of species extinction, which is already at least tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged over the past 10 million years (IPBES, 2019:11-12). Metrics and numeric limits No global resource identified.
Metrics and numeric limits
No global resource identified.
Key relevant UN convention / multilateral treaty
The Convention on Biological Diversity (1992) has three main objectives: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources. At the time of writing, there were 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1993).
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals also referred as the Bonn Convention and the Convention on Migratory Species (1979) is an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. At the time of writing, there were 130 parties to the convention (CMS, 1983).
The Convention on Wetlands also referred as the Ramsar Convention (1971) provides the framework for the conservation and use of wetlands and their resources. At the time of writing, almost 90% of UN member states were contracting parties to this intergovernmental treaty (Ramsar, 2014).
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora also referred as CITES (1973) is an intergovernmental agreement which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. At the time of writing, there were 183 parties to the convention (CITES, 2019).
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (1994) links environmental concerns and development issues to sustainable land management practices. At the time of writing, there were 197 parties to the convention (UNCCD, no date).
The World Heritage Convention (1972) recognises some World Heritage properties specifically for their outstanding biodiversity values, protecting many of the most important ecosystems, areas of high biodiversity and mitigating against loss. At the time of writing, there were 193 parties to the convention (UNESCO, 2019).
Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management
The direct drivers of change leading to biodiversity loss include direct exploitation of organisms, changes in land and sea use, climate change, pollution, and invasion of alien species. The direct drivers result from an array of underlying causes (indirect drivers), underpinned by societal values and behaviours such as production and consumption patterns, human population dynamics and trends, trade, technological innovations and local through global governance (IPBES, 2019).
Biodiversity provides numerous ecosystem services that are critical to human well-being at present and in the future. Biodiversity loss can have significant direct human health impacts if ecosystem services are no longer adequate to meet social needs. In parallel, it can also affect indirectly livelihoods, income, local migration and, occasionally, may even lead to or exacerbate political conflict (WHO, no date). In addition, biophysical diversity of microorganisms, flora and fauna provide important benefits for biological, health, and pharmacological sciences. Loss in biodiversity may limit discovery of potential treatments for many diseases and health problems (WHO, no date).
In 2009, a group of internationally renowned scientists identified the nine processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth system (Figure I: the nine planetary boundaries). They proposed quantitative planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come to the extent that the boundaries are not crossed (Stockholm Resilience Center, no date). The scientists highlighted that transgressing one or more planetary boundaries may be deleterious or even catastrophic due to the risk of crossing thresholds that will trigger non-linear, abrupt environmental change within continental-to planetary-scale systems (Rockström et al., 2009). As of 2015, two boundaries including biosphere integrity (biodiversity loss and extinctions) were crossed, while others were in imminent danger of being crossed.
The following main interventions (‘levers’) to generate transformative change by tackling the underlying causes of the deterioration of nature are suggested by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: develop incentives and widespread capacity for environmental responsibility and eliminating perverse incentives; reform sectoral and segmented decision-making to promote integration across sectors and jurisdictions; take pre-emptive and precautionary actions in regulatory and management institutions and businesses to avoid, mitigate and remedy the deterioration of nature, and monitor their outcomes; manage for resilient social and ecological systems in the face of uncertainty and complexity, to deliver decisions that are robust in a wide range of scenarios; and strengthen environmental laws and policies and their implementation, and the rule of law more generally (IPBES, 2019).
References
CBD, 1993. Introduction, Convention on Biological Diversity. Accessed 06 December 2019.
CITES, 2019. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Accessed 20 December 2019.
CMS, 1983. Parties and range states. Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Accessed 20 December 2019.
Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992. Parties and range states. Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Accessed 29 January 2020.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1973). What is CITES?. Accessed 20 December 2019.
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, 1979. Accessed 29 January 2020.
IPBES, 2019. The global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services: Summary for policymakers. Accessed 20 December 2019.
Ramsar, 2014. About the Ramsar Convention. Accessed 20 December 2019.
Ramsar Convention, 1971. Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat 1971. Accessed 29 January 2020.
Rockström, J., W.L. Steffen, K. Noone and 26 others, 2009. Planetary boundaries: exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecology and Society, 14:32.
Steffen, W., K. Richardson, J. Rockström, S.E. Cornell and 14 others, 2015. Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347:736, 1259855.
Stockholm Resilience Centre, no date. The nine planetary boundaries. Accessed 20 December 2019.
UNCDD, no date. About the convention. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (no date).
UNESCO, 2019. World Heritage and Biodiversity. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Accessed 20 December 2019.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, 1994. Accessed 19 January 2020.
WHO, no date. Biodiversity and Health. World Health Organization (WHO). Accessed 20 December 2019.
World Heritage Convention, 1972. Accessed 19 January 2020.