The loss of biodiversity has two major effects on human health and the spread of disease. How does biodiversity loss affect humans? Diplomats from 130 nations gathered in Paris last week to agree on the final wording of the report's summary for policymakers. "If you think about biodiversity, you think about tigers and polar bears," said Rebecca Shaw, chief scientist at the World Wildlife Fund. Evidence for the direct effects of biodiversity on health is relatively abundant. The unprecedented and accelerating deterioration of nature in the past 50 years has been driven by changes in land and sea use, exploitation of living beings, climate change, pollution and invasive species, the report found. They provide clean air, fresh water, medicines and food security. Chief among them are: (a) human-induced changes in land cover at the global scale lead to clear losers and winners among species in biotic communities; (b) these changes have large impacts on ecosystem processes and, thus, human well-being; and (c) such consequences will be felt disproportionately by the poor, who are most vulnerable to the loss of ecosystem services. 2.1 Biodiversity loss has negative effects on several aspects of human well-being, such as food security, vulnerability to natural disasters, energy security, and access to clean water and raw materials. Ecosystem processes are intrinsic processes and fluxes whereby an ecosystem maintains its integrity (such as primary productivity, trophic transfer from plants to animals, decomposition and nutrient cycling, evapotranspiration, etc.). For humans that is worrying. Without bees pollinating crops and trees turning carbon dioxide into oxygen, even basic human tasks such as eating and breathing become harder. 26]. e277. Is the Subject Area "Ecosystems" applicable to this article? Based on the available evidence, we cannot define a level of biodiversity loss that is safe, and we still do not have satisfactory models to account for ecological surprises. Human well-being is a human experience that includes the basic materials for a good life, freedom of choice and action, health, good social relationships, a sense of cultural identity, and a sense of security. PLOS Biology provides an Open Access platform to showcase your best research and commentary across all areas of biological science. However, the scientific community still needs to fill crucial knowledge gaps. Effects of Habitat Loss on Biodiversity Habitat loss is a process of environmental change in which a natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. Understanding the Changing Planet outlines eleven strategic directions to focus research and leverage new technologies to harness the potential that the geographical sciences offer. These include, for example, subsistence farmers in the face of industrial agriculture [23] and subsistence fishermen in the face of intensive commercial fishing and aquaculture [24]. According to the World Wildlife Federation, biodiversity affects humans in terms of natural resources and ecosystem services. The loss of biodiversity causes severe adverse effects on our whole environmental system, including humanity. Third, we need to reinforce the systematic screening for functional traits of organisms likely to have ecosystem-level consequences. alter the interactions between organisms and their physical and chemical environments. It also affects human health, social relations, and freedom of choice. New research demonstrates that such mammal biodiversity loss a major conservation concern today is part of a long-term trend lasting at least 125,000 years. Many activities indispensable for human subsistence lead to biodiversity loss, and this trend is likely to continue in the future. No, Is the Subject Area "Ecological risk" applicable to this article? Land use change, pollution, poor water quality, chemical and waste contamination, climate change and other causes of ecosystem degradation all contribute to biodiversity loss and, can pose considerable threats to human health. Humans rely on various plants, animals, and other organisms for food, building materials, and medicines, and their availability as commodities is important to many cultures. "Our results show that future loss of species has the potential to reduce plant production just as much as global warming and pollution." "The loss of species, ecosystems and genetic diversity is already a global and generational threat to human well-being," said Watson. The links between biodiversity and ecosystem services have been gaining increasing attention in the scientific literature of the past few years [24, Approximately two thirds of known human infectious diseases are shared with animals, and the majority of recently emerging In addition, biodiversity has always been an integral part of the human experience, and there are many moral reasons to preserve it for its own sake. Because there are well-established links between functional traits of locally abundant organisms and ecosystem processes, especially for plants [912], it may become possible to identify changes in ecosystem processes and in ecosystem services that depend on them under different biodiversity scenarios. What about slow-growing natural communities, or communities that consist of plant species with more contrasting biology? Many animal and plant populations have been dramatically reduced by changing land use patterns, to the point that they could be considered functionally extinct, such as the maned wolf (D) and the giant anteater in the Chaco plains (E), and the orangutan (I) and several species of pitcher plants (J) in the Bornean rainforest. Compelling evidence now shows that the reverse is also true: biodiversity in the broad sense affects the properties of ecosystems and, therefore, the benefits that humans obtain from them. For example, the service of formation, retention, and sustained fertility of soils necessary for the production of plants and animals considered important by different human societies depends on the ecosystem processes of decomposition, nutrient cycling by soil microbiota, and the retention of water and soil particles by a well-developed root network (Figure 1, path 2 and top sub-box in red of Ecosystem Services box). The diversity of life on Earth is dramatically affected by human alterations of ecosystems [1]. This book examines these questions, first by providing evidence for equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions in relatively undisturbed ecosystems, and second by examining human-induced effects. The massive growth in the human population through the 20th century has had more impact on biodiversity than any other single factor. Sir David King, science advisor to the UK government. In comparison, biodiversity gain can directly benefit health. Intensified and enhanced food production through irrigation, use of fertilizer, plant protection (pesticides) or the introduction of crop varieties and cropping patterns affect biodiversity, and thus impact global nutritional status and human health. Access to a sufficiency of a nutritious variety of food is a fundamental determinant of health. Since we nowadays exploit many natural living spaces to an unhealthy degree, chances are that we lose many food sources which we could otherwise use in the future. In a blow to human progress, damage to ecosystems undermines 35 of 44 UN sustainable development targets for poverty, hunger, health, water, cities climate, oceans and land, the authors found. We are grateful to W. Reid, H. A. Mooney, G. Orians, and S. Lavorel for encouragement, inspiration, and critical comments during the process that led to this article, and to the leading authors of Millennium Ecosystem Assessment's Current State and Trends, chapter 11. Indirectly, changes in ecosystem services affect livelihoods, income, The Federation points out that biodiversity is a foundational issue for all life on planet earth. The Federation notes that humans are part of a Web connecting all life. PLoS Biol 4(8): For example, land use change through deforestation is a leading driver of disease emergence in humans and is believed to have contributed to the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Symbols of different shades represent different genotypes, phenotypes, or species. Competing interests: Put simply, reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water is in irregular or short supply. Most of the concrete actions to slow down biodiversity loss fall under the domain of policy making by governments and the civil society. But quieter losses hurt people too, such as the decline of medicinal plants and mangroves that protect coastlines. As shown by J.M. diseases are associated with wildlife. In order to make sense of this issue, it is important to thoroughly understand the urgent problem of the loss of biodiversity due to deforestation. They are the tireless stewards of the air, water and land from which we live. There is growing concern about the health consequences of biodiversity loss. Additionally, biological diversity of microorganisms, flora and fauna provides extensive benefits for biological, health, and pharmacological sciences. Human societies have been built on biodiversity. Finally, in order to assist policy decisions and negotiation among different local, national, and international stakeholders, considerable advance is needed in the evaluation and accounting of ecosystem services [29, 6]. "But only if we start now at every level from local to global. Photos by Sandra Daz, except (A and C), courtesy by Marcelo R. Zak. 7, Approximately 60% of the benefits that the global ecosystem provides to support life on Earth (such as fresh water, clean air and a relatively stable climate) are being degraded or used unsustainably. It ranges from tiny genes, bacteria, plants and animals, right up to ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. 2, Table 1 emerged from theory and manipulative experiments, involved biodiversity within a single trophic level (usually plants), and operated mostly at the level of local communities. Some ecosystem services involve the direct provision of material and non-material goods and are associated directly with the presence of particular species of plants and animalsfor example, food, timber, medicines, and ritual materials (Figure 1, path 1 and bottom sub-box of Ecosystem Services box). In a sign of the powerful feedback loops at play, agriculture is itself a major driver of biodiversity loss, with pesticides, soil erosion and forest clearance destroying habitats and sinking wildlife populations. The extinction of species is happening at rates never seen before up to a thousand times faster than what would happen naturally.According to a recent report by IPBES (The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), an estimated 1 million species are currently facing extinction. Why biodiversity loss hurts humans as much as climate change. This book explores the same themes that illuminate the American Museum of Natural History's new Hall of Biodiversity, for which Eldredge is Scientific Curator. The most dramatic changes in ecosystem services are likely to come from altered functional compositions of communities and from the loss, within the same trophic level, of locally abundant species rather than from the loss of already rare species. ", Biggest #biodiversity study in a decade finds current biodiversity loss dangerous for human well-being: https://t.co/IrPpMl4iWr @EcoWatch @IPBES #IPBES6 #LandDegradation pic.twitter.com/gJXMQe60Hs. In many cases the provision of services to the most privileged sectors of society is subsidized but leaves the most vulnerable to pay most of the cost of biodiversity losses. In Borneo, the Dypterocarp forest, one of the species-richest in the world (F), is being replaced by oil palm plantations (G). Found inside Page 271As in the case of climate change there is a real, although unknown, possibility that biodiversity loss will have catastrophic effects on human welfare. for good human health and productive livelihoods. Human health and well-being are Ashika Manu Others have also painted stark pictures of the effects that humans have had on the world, despite making up only 0.01% by biomass of all living creatures on Earth. means that we are losing, before discovery, many of nature's chemicals and genes, of the kind that have already provided humankind with enormous health benefits. Links developed in this article are indicated in red. Patterns of infectious diseases are sensitive to these disturbances. Human Impact On Biodiversity. Yes The Convention on Biological Diversity's 15th Conference of the Parties (CBD COP15) in 2020 marks a critical juncture for one of the defining global challenges of our time: the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, which underpin https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0040277.g002. (see Their disappearance will upend ecosystems and destabilize human civilization. However, not until now has there been an effort to summarize those components of biodiversity that do, or should, matter the most for the provision of these services, and the underlying mechanisms explaining those links (Table 1; see also [3]). Climate-Fueled Ida Behind Suspected Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico, How Arctic Warming Triggers Extreme Cold Waves Like the Texas Freeze, 9 Best CBD Oil Brands for Anxiety & Depression Reviewed 2021, The 6 Best Antioxidant Supplements of 2021, 5 Best Digestive Enzymes of 2021: Guide and Review, The 9 Best Probiotics for Womens Digestive Health, Top Solar Companies: 9 Best Solar Energy Companies of 2021. A diverse ecosystem, with its variety of life forms and individual species, provides resources to sustain mankinds life and health, 1 while the loss of biodiversity may reduce well-being. New WHO-IUCN Expert Working Group on Biodiversity, Climate, One Health and Nature-based Solutions, Online Course on Global Health at the Human-Animal-Ecosystem Interface, Nature is our Greatest Source of Health and Well-Being, Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee. Most of these have been natural experiments, that is, the unintended consequence of intentional or accidental removal or addition of certain predator, pathogen, herbivore, or plant species to ecosystems. of the same food can differ dramatically, affecting micronutrient availability in the diet. These changes are irreversible for all practical purposes (H). Figure 1, path 3). However, some of these components are more important than others in influencing specific ecosystem services. While some of the problems listed in the report have been known for decades, scientists have struggled to convey the urgency with which they need to be dealt. Drivers of Biodiversity Loss. Fourth, experimental designs for studying links between biodiversity and ecosystem processes and services need to not only meet statistical criteria but also mimic biotic configurations that appear in real ecosystems as a result of common land-use practices (e.g., primary forest versus monospecific plantations versus enrichment planting, or grazing-timber agroforestry systems versus a diverse grazing megafauna versus a single grazer such as cattle). Human Population Growth: The Effects on Biodiversity. However, the most dramatic examples of effects of small changes in biodiversity on ecosystem services have occurred at the landscape level and have involved alterations of food-web diversity through indirect interactions and trophic cascades. So, to the question of how biodiversity matters to ecosystem services, we have to reply that it depends on what organisms there are. No, Is the Subject Area "Biodiversity" applicable to this article? Biodiversity loss is as big a threat to humans as climate change, said UN biodiversity chief Robert Watson last week at a conference in Paris to release a landmark report on global biodiversity and ecosystems. Environmental stewardship can contribute to secure livelihoods and Nutritional composition between foods and among varieties/cultivars/breeds Found inside Page iiThis book represents the initial probing of this central ques tion. It will be followed by other volumes in this series examining in depth the functional role of biodiversity in various ecosystems of the world. People who rely most directly on ecosystem services, such as subsistence farmers, the rural poor, and traditional societies, face the most serious and immediate risks from biodiversity loss. A total number of 366 authors from 180 institutions in 43 countries provided information and contributed to the Atlas. -- Publisher. It also supports economic opportunities, This is a sobering conclusion for those who argue that biodiversity is simply an intellectual preoccupation of those whose basic needs and aspirations are fulfilled. Ecosystem effects of biodiversity loss could rival impacts of climate change, pollution. Although throughout Earths history the climate has always changed with ecosystems and species coming and going, rapid climate change affects ecosystems and species ability to adapt and, contributing to biodiversity loss. Biodiversity loss also Ecological surprises are difficult to predict, since they usually involve novel interactions among species. As biodiversity decreases, so may the quality of human life on both a Direct effects of drivers of biodiversity loss (eutrophication, burning, soil erosion and flooding, etc.) Yes In Argentina and Bolivia, the Chaco thorn forest (A) is being felled at a rate considered among the highest in the world (B), to give way to soybean cultivation (C). Other ecosystem services arise, either directly or indirectly, from the continued functioning of ecosystem processes. While the report's recommendations were targeted at policy-makers, scientists say many consumer choices, such as reducing beef consumption and eating sustainably-sourced fish, are needed to conserve ecosystems. This book provides the first comprehensive review of the field in a series of closely interlinked chapters addressing the central issues within this exciting and important subject. Found insideThis book also explores the drivers of Californias ecological patterns and the history of the states various ecosystems, outlining how the challenges of climate change and invasive species and opportunities for regulation and Introduction II. upon terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The global extinction rate today is tens to hundreds of times higher than its average over the past 10 million years. Most of the links between biodiversity and ecosystem services summarized in Biodiversity and Human Health brings together leading thinkers on the global environment and biomedicine to explore the human health consequences of the loss of biological diversity. But the millions of species whose toil underpins our prosperity are gravely endangered by human activity, scientists say and that imperils us in turn. here. In summary, the loss of biodiversity-dependent ecosystem services is likely to accentuate inequality and marginalization of the most vulnerable sectors of society, by decreasing their access to basic materials for a healthy life and by reducing their freedom of choice and action. Publication: Connecting Global Priorities - Biodiversity and Human Health, WHO-IUCN Expert Working Group on Biodiversity, Climate, One Health and Nature-based Solutions, Q&A: Biodiversity and Infectious Diseases, Publication:Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Nutrition and Health, Connecting Priorities - Biodiversity and Health - Key Message. Sign up for our email newsletter! The aims of this book are to summarize state-of-the-art knowledge in marine sciences and to inspire scientists of all career stages in the development of further research. These conferences are organized by and for young marine researchers. The ways in which organisms interact mean the decline of any single species can trigger unexpected losses in the wider ecosystem. Another key message is that, precisely because ecosystem processes depend on the presence and abundance of organisms with particular functional traits, there is wide variation in how ecosystem servicesthat in turn depend on ecosystem processesrespond to changes in species number as particular species are lost from or get established in the system. Three recent publications from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment [24], an initiative involving more than 1,500 scientists from all over the world [5], provide an updated picture of the fundamental messages and key challenges regarding biodiversity at the global scale. 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