Human Negative Impact on Biodiversity Essay Example

“Climate injustice is deeply connected to other forms of injustice that undermine our intrinsic value as human beings.” - Desmond Tutu. Ever since the mid 1980s, humans have had a significant impact on Earth's biodiversity. “Negative impacts on biodiversity can be classified as direct or indirect. Examples of direct biodiversity loss like deforestation are purely caused by human intervention. Indirect biodiversity loss is caused through the effect humans have on the broader environment that ultimately affects habitats, functions and species richness and abundance.” I will be explaining 3 direct impacts: land use change, hunting/fishing, and habitat destruction. This letter is written to persuade you that we must fix what wrong we have done. In addition, possible solutions that can be implemented on the provincial level such as scientific solutions and policy reform will be recommended.

Land use change is harmful, especially to species that live there. “Forest-specialist species and species with narrow ranges are disproportionately lost from ecological communities when land is converted from natural to human-dominated habitats. In particular, birds are highly sensitive to urban land use and the number of bird species declines as human population density increases.” It matters because we are disturbing bird species and some could be killed during land use change. “ It could lead to changes in the way our ecosystems function as well as species extinction.” The more we do this the more species are going extinct. We should not just stand and watch this happening because it affects our food chain.  “The transformation of habitats for human use is causing changes in abundance in tropical and sub-tropical forests around the world.” We are changing the forests, which in return is changing the natural beauty of our beautiful earth. How can Ontario's slogan be "Yours to discover" if there will soon be nothing to discover? Land use change can be found all over the world. So, why isn’t anyone paying attention to this catastrophe? The evidence can show this. The objective of sustainable development is: “to promote the efficient utilization, acquisition and disposition of land as a limited resource. This is done by making sure there is enough for our future generations to use and enjoy while addressing the needs of the present times.” “Growing more crops in the shade of the forest, fertilizing crops with charcoal, and using trade policies to ensure imported food is grown without damaging landscapes and widening deserts overseas” are some solutions for land use change.”  As you can see, land use change is bad for the environment/biodiversity. 

Another problem connected to land use change is hunting/fishing. “When too many fish are taken out of the ocean it creates an imbalance that can erode the food web and lead to a loss of other important marine life, including vulnerable species like sea turtles and corals.” Taking out water from the daily life of a human is the same as taking out so many fishes from the ocean. This is an example that shows us how much we need to care about this matter. “Potential impacts of hunting and trapping on aquatic ecosystems include the following: Changes in populations of targeted species.” Slowly populations of animals are growing down and humans are growing up. This is a clear example of the imbalance of species. “Decades of destructive fishing has resulted in the precipitous decline of key fish stocks such as bluefin tuna and Grand Banks cod, as well as collateral impacts to other marine life. Hundreds of thousands of marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles are captured each year, alongside tens of millions of sharks. Many of these species are endangered and protected, while some such as the vaquita, Eastern Pacific leatherback turtle, and Maui dolphin are on the brink of extinction.” We are putting lives at risk, and only some of us care. This means we don’t care about killing animals, and this matters. This is interesting to understand because of how quiet humanity stands. The Ontario government has said that aged 16 and above must have a license to hunt/fish, or else this is illegal, I think there should be more to it. Awaring people, donating money to charities that support help for animals that are hunted/fished illegally are some important solutions. To sum up you can see hunting/fishing is leading to very huge problems.

Just in the same way, habitat destruction has a negative effect on biodiversity, as habitat loss is perhaps the greatest threat to organisms and biodiversity. “Temple (1986) found that 82% of endangered bird species were significantly threatened by habitat loss. Most amphibian species are also threatened by native habitat loss, and some species are now only breeding in modified habitat. “82% is a huge number and that is disturbing to me and so should it be to you and anyone else. “As habitat destruction of an area occurs, the species diversity offsets from a combination of habitat generalists and specialists to a population primarily consisting of generalist species. Invasive species are frequently generalists that are able to survive in much more diverse habitats. Habitat destruction leading to climate change offsets the balance of species keeping up with the extinction threshold leading to a higher likelihood of extinction.” This matters because habitat destruction leads to climate change, which I myself have never heard of before. “One study shows that habitat fragmentation of tropical rainforests in Euramerica 300 million years ago led to a great loss of amphibian diversity, but simultaneously the drier climate spurred on a burst of diversity among reptiles.” This shows us how 300 million years ago there was habitat fragmentation, and today it remains. It is up to us to stop it as soon as possible. This is very fascinating to study because I never even imagined that 300 years ago habitat fragmentation was even a thing because humans now are creating disasters that will take forever to fix. “The Endangered Species Act prohibits the harm and harassment of protected species and damage of destruction to their habitat” is the objective proven by Ontario. More certified habitat wildcare centers, workshops, and education on habitat destruction are some solutions. As you can see, habitat destruction is not the colorful art piece but is the tiny ripe in it which will continue to grow until taped. 

Here are some concerns from the UN and some of their solutions. 1. “Up to 1 million species are threatened with extinction, many within decades.” 2. “Of the 8,300 animal breeds known, 8 percent are extinct and 22 percent are at risk of extinction.” 3. 1.5 billion people, living with soil too salty to be fertile, Between 20 to 50 percent of irrigated soils in all continents have grown too salty to be fully fertile, creating significant challenges for more than 1.5 billion people trying to grow their own food.” Some solutions for these issues may include the following. 1. Create more bridges to let only animals pass where roads are placed between forests. We can donate money to create more of these bridges by creating campaigns. 2. “Creating green, open space laws.” 3. Knowledge people about these issues. 4. Teach the correct way of farming. So, these are the concerns and solutions. 

The wrong we do should be fixed only by us, if we are capable to hurt animals, plants and us then we should be capable to heal them too. You can now understand what I want to tell you. To summarize everything I will review the key points I have pointed out today. Land use change, hunting/fishing, and habitat destruction are 3 problems that I stated which were affecting biodiversity. These problems are connected because they lead to animal extinction. Land use change affects mainly birds, and the land around it. Hunting/fishing affect fish, and other marine animals. Habitat destruction has been there for over 300 million years and can lead to climate change. These issues affect the food chain, and us humans as well. I have stated the solutions as well, like making bridges for only animals, teaching the correct way of farming, knowledging people about these problems, and opening campaigns. These are the overall key points. This is my argument and it makes a difference because it tells you how much it matters to me about human impacts on biodiversity as a young citizen of Ontario.