Trend Biodiversity decline undermining ecosystems, economy and wellbeing

Summary

The report defines biodiversity as the variety of all life on Earth, including plants, animals and fungi, and describes its loss as a fall in the number, genetic variability and variety of species. Such loss weakens how well ecosystems function, with direct consequences for the economy and human wellbeing. Researchers name five main drivers at both global and local scales, namely pollution, climate change, invasive species, the loss and degradation of habitats, and overexploitation, which includes the illegal wildlife trade. The continued spraying of non-selective pesticides and herbicides is shrinking plant and invertebrate populations. Invasive non-native species add to the loss by outcompeting native wildlife and carrying disease into new areas. The report states that since 1970 human activity has substantially altered and degraded no less than three quarters of global land and two thirds of the ocean.