What do we need to do to stop ourselves heading down this path?
The only way to reverse this trend is to tackle it on a number of different fronts. It starts with the politicians developing the right frameworks and ruling that nature requires greater protection. I really hope that the international community at the upcoming Biodiversity Conference in Montreal will set some ambitious targets in this respect, like designating a third of the Earth’s surface as protected areas. But even as individuals, every one of us can do our part. One particularly important thing we can do is reduce food waste to prevent even more land from being converted for agriculture. Eating less meat would make an even bigger impact. Growing the crops to feed these animals takes up a great deal of land, which could otherwise be designated as protected areas or used for direct food production for humans.
What are the main drivers behind the loss of biodiversity?
As I just mentioned, agriculture is the biggest problem. Firstly because it continuously requires more and more land, which it often obtains through deforestation. And secondly because industrialised agriculture, designed for maximum productivity, uses too much pesticide and fertiliser and leaves too little fallow land and hedgerow habitat in between, which are known to encourage biodiversity. Plus, we are taking more from nature than it can replenish. From fish to game animals, medicinal plants and even wood. A third factor that is playing an increasingly significant role in the loss of biodiversity is climate change. It is not yet the main cause, but rising temperatures are threatening ever more species with extinction. Preserving nature is an important tool in the fight against global warming, as environments like forests and moorlands act as natural CO2 sinks. If they were lost, the climate would heat up even more. There’s a close correlation here. Which is why we need as much biological diversity as possible.
What can we all do to help prevent the loss of species?
As I said before, the loss of biodiversity affects us all, but we can also all do our bit to stop and reverse this worrying trend. The first thing we need to do is change the way we see the world and recognise that we too are part of nature. Often it seems as if we see people as one thing and nature as something completely separate. But this is a misconception. We are all part of a single whole. Changing this perception changes how we interact with nature. Secondly, we – particularly those of us in the rich countries of the Global North – need to reduce our consumption and change our behaviours to make them more sustainable. Because almost everything we consume comes, in one form or another, from nature. Much of what we buy we don’t even need. Being more moderate in our consumption would make a real contribution to maintaining biodiversity.