12.5.1 Loss of Biodiversity

Species have been evolving and dying out (extinction) ever since the origin of life. However, species are now becoming extinct at a faster rate. This is destabilizing the ecological stability and the distribution of biological diversity on earth. Human activities greatly contribute to the loss of biodiversity.

Natural resources such as land, water and organisms are indiscriminately exploited by human beings. According to the Convention of Biological Diversity, direct and indirect human activities have a detrimental effect This increases the emission of CO , a GHG, leading to climate change. Due to large scale deforestation, the emitted CO cannot be absorbed fully, and its concentration in the air increases. Climate change increases land and ocean temperature, changes precipitation patterns and raises the sea level.

This inturn results in melting of glaciers, water inundation, less predictability of weather patterns, extreme weather conditions, outbreak of squalor diseases, migration of animals and loss of trees in forest. Thus, climate change is an imminent danger to the existing biodiversity (Fig. . ) .

Human Biodiversity Biogeochemical Cycles Climate Climate Impacts Climate Impacts Land-use Change Biogenic