Trend Biodiversity is declining

Summary

This trend describes the ongoing loss of the variety of life on Earth. A human-driven mass extinction is under way, with species disappearing 100–1,000 times faster than the natural rate. In Finland, nature has also deteriorated, and one in nine assessed species is threatened. Globally, biodiversity loss endangers food production and the well-being of hundreds of millions of people while causing annual economic losses in the hundreds of billions of euros. Sitra identifies forestry, agriculture, construction, pollution and climate change as forces that degrade habitats. The loss can be slowed by easing pressures on nature and by managing, restoring and protecting habitats, but current efforts are not enough to reverse it.