Habitat loss is erases biodiversity.

As deforestation increases, it exacerbates the imbalance in our planet's carbon cycle.

      100+ million hectares of tropical forest were lost between 1980 and 2000       largely due to cattle ranching 

Both the 2019 IPBES and 2020 WWF reports stress that the loss of habitats and species pose as much of a threat to life on Earth as climate change.

but what about...

“Understanding the synergistic effects between climate change and other threatening processes has critical implications for our ability to support and incorporate climate change adaptation measures into policy development and management response." CSIRO 

polar bears and staghorn coral...

​Palm oil plantations in the tropical regions of Africa, Latin America, and Asia have led the large scale destruction of important habitat  for many species. The largest growth of palm oil plantations has been in Malaysia and Indonesia where large tracts of rainforest are cleared to grow palm oil crops. 

humans...

an  "extinction level event"?

and relationships among organisms are not always naturally derived...

by land...

   Four in 10 (39.4%) plants are at risk of dying out.
    The additional challenge is         identifying new species before extinction, with 1,942 new species of plants identified last year alone.

        Over a million species are now threatened with dying out before the turn of
                       the next century – more than ever before in human history

  Tropical sub-regions of Americas showing biggest declines with a 94% decline of wildlife populations in tropical sub-regions of the Americas from 1970 to today...
the largest decrease observed anywhere on Earth. 

  Dramatic rates of decline could lead to over 40% of the world’s insect species disappearing within decades
with habitat loss due to industrial agriculture the main driver behind the decrease.

...by sea

     Species are dying off 1,000 times more frequently today than during the 60 million years before the arrival of humans.

 Populations of freshwater wildlife species are declining disproportionately faster            than others, dropping by an average of 84% between 1970 and 2018.

The intersection of climate change and habitat loss is disastrous.
The destruction of habitats reduces/eliminates the carrying capacity of indigenous organisms. There is a threshold in habitat availability, below which species rapidly become extinct.
​ Climate change reduces that threshold, accelerating extinction.

​What can WE (the collective) do to save the planet?

 transform global food system
Experts agree that one of the best ways of saving the planet is by changing how we grow food and which food we chose to eat. Industrial agricultural practices account for nearly 60% of all biodiversity loss and about a quarter of CO2 emissions worldwide.
Farmers can be supported to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides, diversify crops and phase out ploughing to lessen the environmental impact.

eat less meat
Consumers can make a difference by choosing to eat less meat and making more sustainable food choices, as farming animals uses a lot of land and water.

take climate change seriously
It’s dead serious. Read, discuss, evaluate, understand. 

vote for leaders that champion conservation practices
AND take climate change seriously. 
Lobby for them, donate to their campaigns.

   be informed consumers
The expansion of palm oil plantations is a huge driver of deforestation and habitat loss in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.
​
remember
that climate change and diversity loss isn’t just about polar bears and coral reefs... there's a whole planet of creatures, humans included, depending on us. 

   There has been an average 68% drop in global population sizes of  amphibians, birds, fish mammals and reptiles between 1970 and 2016.