Humans are having a highly detrimental impact on biodiversity worldwide.
Humans are having a highly detrimental impact on biodiversity worldwide. Not only is the number of species declining, but the composition of species communities is also changing. These are the findings of a study by Eawag and the University of Zurich published in the scientific journal Nature. It is one of the largest studies ever conducted on this topic.
Biological diversity is under threat. More and more plant and animal species are disappearing worldwide, and humans are responsible. Until now, however, there has been no synthesis of the extent of human intervention in nature and whether the effects can be found everywhere in the world and in all groups of organisms. This is because most of the studies conducted to date have only looked at individual aspects. They either examined changes in species diversity over time or were limited to a single location or to specific human impacts. Based on these studies, it is difficult to make any general statements about the effects and impacts of humans on biodiversity.
Read More: University of Zurich
Intensive agriculture leads to the loss of biodiversity – especially in arable farming, where large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers are used. Not only is biodiversity often declining, the species composition is also shifting. (photo Credit: Florian Altermatt)
