Biodiversity: Human Impact, Threats, and Conservation Efforts

This assignment delves into the critical issue of biodiversity loss, exploring its causes and potential solutions. The student analyzes the impact of human activities, including deforestation and habitat destruction, as primary drivers of species extinction. The assignment references articles that highlight the severity of the biodiversity crisis and discusses the urgent need for conservation efforts. The student provides answers addressing the ways humans negatively impact biodiversity, primarily through resource exploitation and population growth, leading to habitat loss and species extinction. Furthermore, the assignment outlines potential solutions to prevent further loss, emphasizing the importance of mindful resource management, halting deforestation, protecting biodiversity hotspots, and building biosphere reserves. The student highlights the need for increased awareness and proactive measures to ensure the peaceful coexistence of humans and wildlife and prevent further ecological damage.

Running head:BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity 2020
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Summary
Title 1: Biodiversity in grave danger: what can be done in 2020?
Link: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/biodiversity-grave-danger-
what-can-be-done-2020
This article covers the course of action that must be taken in the year 2020 to ensure
the prevention of further ecological deterioration and the possible reversion of the
biodiversity destruction that has already taken place. It links all the recent developments and
losses in terms of biodiversity and the world’s climate. This article also mentions that for the
first time, all the global issues were strictly environmental, which included extreme weather
events, failure of climate change adaption, major natural disasters, human-made
environmental disasters, and loss of biodiversity and huge ecosystems. The extinction rate is
currently higher than ever before and its rising. Serious measures must be taken to prevent
further damage.
Title 2: Disappearing snakes and the biodiversity crisis
Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200213160126.htm
This article talks about how the extinction of one species in an ecosystem can cause a
cascade reaction in terms of loss of biodiversity. It was estimated with an 85% possibility that
the snakes were lower in number than how much they were before the decline in the number
of amphibians. The exact cause of this cannot be pinpointed. However, many other species
seemed to be doing just fine even after the extinction of the amphibians. This signifying the
level of destruction all around the world, which seems to be higher than that of what was
originally estimated by scientists.

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Answer 1
Humans have long since had a significant impact on biodiversity, which mostly bends
towards negatively affecting the same. This is mainly due to the huge amount of exploitation
of the world’s resources. This includes cutting down trees for firewood, making a place for
settlements and agriculture. This leads to a huge impact on biodiversity due to the loss of
habitat of many animals as well as deforestation. The loss of habitat is one of the primary
causes of the extinction of the animals. Hunting and pollution are too other ways humans
have facilitated the loss of biodiversity in the world and leading to species extinction.
Answer 2
As mentioned above, humans have the biggest role in the loss of biodiversity in the
planet. Throughout the ages, humans have negatively impacted the diversity of living things
in the ecosystem. The main cause of this can be blamed on the increase in the human
population. Increased human population has led to excessive land use by human beings, and
this has led to them cutting down and occupying vast forests. Apart from that, humans have
raided the forests for resources such as honey, timber, rubber, causing a loss of many species
of plants and animals. Hence this has affected biodiversity.
Answer 3
There are ways to prevent further loss of biodiversity and conserve what is left.
Humans have already taken certain steps towards it. This includes primarily being mindful of
what resources should or should not be exploited. Deforestation must be stopped. The
biodiversity hotspots must be protected from any sort of hunting or exploitation. Biosphere
reserves are already being built for the conservation of biodiversity and the peaceful
coexistence of humans and wildlife. This is definitely a step in the right direction, and further
steps, as well as spreading awareness, can prevent the extinction of more animals.

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Reference
ScienceDaily. 2020. Disappearing Snakes And The Biodiversity Crisis. [online] Available at:
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200213160126.htm> [Accessed 27 March
2020].
UN Environment, 2020. Biodiversity In Grave Danger: What Can Be Done In 2020?.
[online] Available at: <https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/biodiversity-
grave-danger-what-can-be-done-2020> [Accessed 27 March 2020].