Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Islamabad (News advertisment. DW News 12 January 2022) Today, for the first time in 65 million years, mankind is witnessing the beginning of the extinction of endangered biodiversity. What will be the effect on the environment and humans on earth?
As a result of the mass extinction of 65 million years ago, dinosaurs roaming the planet began to become extinct.
Scientists are now warning of another such process, pointing out that this time the extinction will be the sixth large-scale extinction of biodiversity. Man himself is one of the main reasons for the extinction of species on the planet. In addition, climate change, changes in residential areas, air pollution and modern farming methods have a big hand in this process.
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What kind of extinction?
This mass extinction would cause at least three-quarters of all biological species to become extinct in three million years. Some scientists say the current pace of the process indicates that such a large-scale extinction could be completed in a few centuries.
Experts estimate that at least one million species are likely to become extinct within the next few decades. These figures are actually included in a historical report published in 2019. However, many scientists say that this number may actually be much less than the actual number. The problem is that the Earth's ecosystem is incredibly complex.
That is why trying to predict the complete extinction of biodiversity is no less than a delicate art.
Lack of food security
According to Corey Bradshaw, professor of global ecology at Flanders University in South Australia, "I think we will be the first to face a clear shortage of food supplies because our food is largely dependent on pollination.
"Professor Bradshaw explains the interaction between humans and the ecosystem with the help of mathematical models.
Climate change also threatens the acquisition of natural resources
One-third of the world's food supply depends on bees," he says. If they become extinct, there will be a sharp decline in agricultural production. Some crop pests cause crop failure, which further affects monocrop cultivation.
Millions of people worldwide depend on wild species for their livelihood. This is especially difficult for coastal and inland fishermen as their incomes are rapidly declining or their survival is in grave danger.
According to Bradshaw, this lack of food security, which is also linked to increasing droughts and floods, will hit poorer areas hardest, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.
Fertility of the land
If certain types of single-celled organisms do not survive, their elimination will have a profound negative effect on soil quality. Although the number of endangered species is much lower than it really is, researchers believe that they are becoming more rapidly extinct than other species.
The action of water or wind will intensify the penetration of the earth's surface, which will result in more floods, further reduce the fertility of the earth and will further affect the growth of crops.
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Coleman O'Creuden, conservation policy manager at the World Wildlife Fund, described the development as a "very special kind of threat."
Organic matter is in a way like the glue that holds everything together," he says. If you think of it as a Christmas pudding, it has some dry ingredients. Such as bread crumbs, flour and dried fruits. But this pudding looks frozen due to eggs and butter etc. It can be molded into many different shapes due to its softness.
Water scarcity and natural disasters
Much of the world's fresh water comes from wetlands that enable this vital source of life to be cleansed and redistributed. Water from rivers and wetlands, for example, supplies water to the Himalayan Water Tower. It provides water to about two billion people.
If such a system breaks down, its effects can lead to a shortage of flowers and plants, and people could lose a lot of water for drinking and agricultural use.
There has also been a dramatic increase in diseases due to climate change
Another major problem is deforestation. Rainwater is evaporating and this is likely to change. This affects the process by which moisture is evaporated back into the atmosphere. As a result, the land becomes drier, as seen in the Amazon region.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that approximately 10 million hectares or 24 million acres of forests have been cut down annually since 2015. Meanwhile, crop failures and other environmental hazards are likely to lead to large-scale displacement as people seek to escape threats such as famine and rapidly depleting resources.
Infectious diseases
Carl Folke, an expert at the Stockholm-based Resilience Center for Research, says pine bark and gum are a buffer for biodiversity. Their scarcity causes many environmental problems. Humans have made the whole ecosystem very weak," says Folke.
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Experts and scientists warn that the loss of biodiversity could also lead to an increased risk of epidemics as wild animals and humans come into close contact with each other as a result of destruction of their ecosystems and disruption of natural systems. Come
Damage to biodiversity
Is there any way to compensate for the loss of endangered species? Despite the catastrophic predictions, there is a glimmer of hope for improvement, which depends on human beings. Thomas Brooks, an expert with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), says:
But there are also many impressive success stories. There are also instances where people have been able to reverse this trend. "
According to Brooks, there are many examples of wrong strategies being diverted or trends being directed in the right direction. Brooks is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead. Research shows that if global environmental protection efforts had not been made, the damage would have been three to four times greater since 1993.
Success stories in environmental protection efforts must be carried forward, as the reintroduction of seagulls in Europe is a great example of success in the fight against the loss of biodiversity.
