Threats To Biodiversity
Biodiversity loss has always existed as a natural process but threats
to biodiversity arise when the rate of extinction exceeds the rate of
speciation.
Biodiversity loss is primarily related with human interactions with
natural resources.
In early phases of life, humans remained as one component of
ecosystem but, very recently, humans have become a factor of
ecosystem and started reshaping the biodiversity.
1. Escalating Human Population: Escalating human population
is the root cause of biodiversity loss. Major threats to biodiversity
not only emerge from ever-increasing human population but also
multiplied by it. Deforestation, land use/cover changes, over-
utilization of natural resources, poaching, pollution, etc., are some
of the direct outcomes of increasing population leading to erosion
or loss of biodiversity.
2. 2. Habitat Destruction (Deforestation) and
Fragmentation: Habitat destruction and fragmentation are
considered as prime reasons of the biodiversity loss and is
generally called the deforestation. Although habitat may be
degraded, modified or merely eliminated but it is more commonly
devastated by human activities. Deforestation is, generally, of two
types: decrease of forest land, i.e., conversion of forest land into
other land uses and decrease in the tree density due to cutting of
selective tree species. Large tracts of forests are now converted
into other land uses. This process is more common throughout the
world, especially in developing countries like India.
3. Overuse of Natural Resources: The hunting and harvesting
of wild plants and animals is needed for survival of man. As long as the
human population was small and methods of collection were
primitive, people could harvest the plants and animals in sustainable
manner.
Now, as humans become more numerous and widespread, they start
killing species faster than those species can replace themselves, either
through reproduction or immigration from elsewhere. Increased
human population has led to almost complete depletion of large
animals from many biological communities leaving habitat ’empty’.
The illegal killing and smuggling of wildlife is rampant in almost all
parts of the world. In India, killing of elephants to obtain their tusk
and tiger to obtain their multiple benefits has taken place. Poaching of
male elephant for tusk leads to imbalance in the sex ratio to their
population.
4. Impact of Non-native/Exotic Species: Species introduced by
humans have exterminated the native species by competing with
them, preying upon them or destroying their habitat. These
introduced species may displace native species through competition
for limited natural resources; they may push them on the verge of
extinction or they may alter the habitat so that many native species are
no longer able to persist.
The introduction of exotic species into some areas has had devastating
impacts on the native biodiversity. Native species, most vulnerable to
impact of exotic species introduction, are those which have evolved in
isolation from high level of competition and predation. The majority of
recent extinct species inhabited small isolated oceanic islands.
5. Climate Change: 1. Due to global warming, ecosystems generally
shift northward or upward in altitude, but in some cases they will run
out of space, as 1°C change in temperature corresponds to 100
kilometers change in latitude. Hence, average shift in habitat
condition by the year 2100 will be in the order of 140 to 580 km
(CPCB, 2002).
2. High temperature trigger earlier flowering. This could affect
interaction with other species that depend on flowering plants. For
example, alteration of distribution and growing season of upland could
adversely impact pollinators.
3. Climate change is affecting species already threatened by multiple
threats across the globe—habitat fragmentation due to colonization,
logging, agricultural and mining, etc., are all contributing to further
destruction of terrestrial habitats.
4. Coral reef mortality increases and erosion is accelerated due to
increasing temperature. In 1998, 16 per cent of the world’s corals died
due to higher temperature. Increased level of CO2 adversely impacts
the coral building process (calcification). Scientists estimate
calcification could decline 17-35 per cent below pre-industrial level by
2100.
5. Sea level rise due to global warming would result in disappearance
of low-lying areas and further to extinctions of island species.
6. In equatorial regions, growth of plants will be disturbed. Many
species that are very sensitive and cannot adapt to rapid climate
change process will disappear. Photosynthesis process will increase in
temperate regions that will result in greening of these regions. Plant
growth will increase.
7. Loss of biodiversity in equatorial region and development in
temperate region is taking place due to global climate change leading
to food cycle changes at local and global levels.
6. Natural Calamities:
Natural calamities such as floods, cyclones, landslides and avalanches,
volcanism, etc., are also responsible for depletion of biological
diversity. For example, during the monsoon season in 1998 and also
many times after 1998, entire Kaziranga National Park in Assam was
heavily flooded which led to the death of 28 rhinos, 70-85 deer, 8
bears and 3 elephants and many plant species were also lost.
7. Energy Resources; Development and utilization of various forms
of energy resources, e.g., fossil fuel (crude oil, coal and natural gas),
biomass energy, nuclear energy, hydroelectricity and other non-
conventional energy sources has direct implications on biodiversity.
Development of these energy sources modifies natural habitat and
alters the evolutionary process
Development and utilization of fossil fuel accelerates global climatic
change and associated disturbances like air pollution, particularly
when coupled with human population growth and eventually leads to
the loss of biodiversity. Development of biomass energy requires vast
stretches of land to be under agricultural land.
This results in conversion of natural landscapes in agricultural land.
Also, it leads to monoculture and destroys the diversity of that
landscape which is the loss of biodiversity. Development of
hydroelectricity necessitates water storage in highlands, due to which
large areas under forests and grasslands submerged under water. This
results in modification of natural habitat and ultimately in loss of
biodiversity. Similarly, other modes of energy sources affect the
biodiversity.
