The planet’s biodiversity has fallen in 58% of the earth’s surface below suggested as insurance, a loss that can adversely affect the functioning of ecosystems and the sustainability of human societies, according to a study published today in Science threshold .
The study, of University College London, the London Museum of Natural History and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre Conservation (UNEP-WCMC) UN indicates that biodiversity loss is so high that if controlled could “undermine efforts to achieve sustainable development in the long term. ”
In 58.1% of the land area, which is home to 71.4% of the world population, biodiversity loss is significant enough to question the ability of ecosystems to support human societies, indicates the study.
This research is the first to quantify, in such detail, the effect of habitat loss on global biodiversity and the result is that “almost everyone biodiversity loss is no longer within the safety limits suggested by environmentalists , according to the doctor who led the study, Tim Newbold, of University College London (UCL).
“We know that the loss of biodiversity affects the ecosystem function but is not entirely clear how. Although we do know is that in many parts of the world we are approaching a situation in which human intervention could be necessary to maintain ecosystem function, “he added.
Grasslands, savannas and scrub forests are the most affected by the loss of biodiversity, followed closely by many forests around the world, while the best preserved are tundra and boreal forests.
In the affected areas, the ability of biodiversity to support key ecosystem functions, such as growth of living organisms and nutrient cycling is increasingly uncertain, says the study.
Researchers believe that below a “safe limit” the many services provided by biodiversity for the welfare of humanity-the pollinating crops, decomposing waste and regulating the carbon cycle are seriously threatened.
Generally, the limit is preventively in a 10% reduction BII, which means that the abundance of species in a given habitat stands at 90% of what it would be if there were no human use land, although some researchers believe could be considered safe until a reduction of 70%.
BII map drawn by the experts indicates that global biodiversity has fallen to 84.6% (below the recommended threshold of 90%) and even taking into account the emergence of new species in a given region, the data it would be 88% of its previous value to the human factor.
“Decision-makers are very concerned about economic downturns, but an ecological recession could have even worse consequences and biodiversity that is already damaged supposed to run the risk of occurrence. Unless we can restore biodiversity, we are playing ecological roulette, “said Andy Purvis, Natural History Museum
The team used data from hundreds of scientists around the world to analyze 1.3 million records of 39,123 species on 18,659 sites from the database predicts project to estimate how it has changed biodiversity on Earth since before the human modify the habitat.
