Bosques Caledonios.

Biodiversity Loss

Introduction.

Biodiversity around the globe has suffered several changes that has caused the decline in species as their ecosystems have been deteriorated by humans. Most of the environmental pressures that affect biodiversity are caused by human activities. As the human population continues to grow, more resources are being needed to satisfy the population needs. Most of the biodiversity is located in countries were the economic and social programs are still developing. Unchecked consumerism, has caused the overexploitation of natural resources, as more ecosystems such as jungles, woodlands, coral reefs, lakes and others are being modified and transformed. This transformation of the ecosystem leads to a loss of habitat due to the degradation of the soil of natural ecosystems that are changed by agricultural activities, tourism, mining, fossil fuel industry, etc. As civilizations expanded and colonized lands, many species were brought to alien lands affecting the native wildlife. The accidental or purposely introduction of alien invasive species to ecosystems has disrupted the ecologic balance of ecosystems. Alien species can predate on native species, as the native species lack of natural defences to that particular species. Also, human industrialization during the last 100 years, has increased temperatures around the globe, disrupting the pattern of environmental processes, affecting the behavior of organisms. Organisms are being forced to change their biological behavior to survive the hostile changing environments. Earth has natural stages in which the climate changes throughout long period of time, however the sum of human activities has accelerated the process. This factors has caused a global change, endangering biodiversity in all corners of the globe.

Overpopulation

World population has been continuously growing and developing in recent years. The impact that developing population have on the environment is severe as many species of flora and fauna have been driven to extinction. Human population has been influenced by multiple factors that have improved life quality and therefore life expectancy. Although, there has been a decline in population growth in developed countries, developing countries population continues to grow.  As for now, there is a projection that by the year of 2050, 9.7 billion people will populate the globe and by 2100 the population will increase to 11.2 billion which most of the increment is to be expected in Africa (Un.org, 2015).

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Habitat loss.

It is considered that the major contributor to the loss of biodiversity is habitat loss, as 85 percent of the species are threatened by habitat loss. According to reports, during the 90’s around 16 million of forest hectares were lost per year, and 70 percent of deforested zones were converted into arable land for agricultural activities (WWF, 2015). Most of the unregulated extraction is being perform by companies that take advantage of corrupt governments to pursue their agenda .Mining , oil extraction ,overfishing ,deforestation and other factors ,has caused a destruction of several habitats. The habitats are not being able to recover, as they are being destroyed in a constant and fast rate. This trend has continued during the XXI century at a lower rate but it is still significantly harmful, with 13 million hectares being lost each year. South America and Africa had the highest net annual loss of forests in 2000-2010, with four and 3.4 million hectares respectively. Oceania also registered a net loss, due partly to severe drought in Australia since 2000  (Fao.org, 2014).  The amazon forest in Brazil which is rich in biodiversity and is home to the entire South American tropical flora, is being affected by foreign and national companies which are driven by a market demand. The loss of biodiversity is a result of the destruction of the rainforest. All the flora of South American tropical rainforest lies within the Amazon rainforest , among thousands species of amphibians ,birds and insects which some species remain unclassified. Brazilian beef production has raised demand , as farmers need larger pieces of land to be able to feed their farm animals. Oil corporations have caused irreparable harm in the Amazon forest. Oil drilling contaminates, as waste and oil spills are released into the soil, air and water. Remaining oil particles from the drill spread  into the environment .This in consequence , brings imbalances to the ecosystem and the Amazonian food chain ,suffers from  unexpected changes in their natural stages  ,involves chemical and biological phenomena. The Brazilian government with the World Bank is employing several policies through an international conservation program known, as ARPA .The conservation program was settled in Johannesburg in 2002 were the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) provided 46 million dollars. The goal of the program is to protect 70 million hectares of the world’s rainforest. If the program is successful, it will then reduce 1.1 billion tons of CO2 by 2050 (World Bank, 2012). The program has been successful in Brazil as its deforestation reached a minimum low record, deforestation levels dropped 11.7 percent in 2011. In contrast to this, deforestation in Latin America and in the Caribbean has increased. Environments are being affected by Big dams which impact the natural course of rivers. Dams have an impact on fauna as migration of fish gets interrupted and the flora can see a change in their water cycles. Dams are considered to be a mayor threat to biuodiversity as 40 percent  of species of fish inhabits rivers and 60 percent of rivers around the globe have been fragmented by dams.    Dams increase erosion

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