Insight article | Why biodiversity loss matters and how are we COPing with it?

As species disappear, ecosystems are degraded and the natural processes and systems essential to life on Earth are disrupted (Hooper et al., 2012). The problem is multifaceted, but there is one inescapable fact: Biodiversity is in critical decline. Because of its important role in nutrient cycling, soil formation, carbon sequestration, pollination, water and air filtration, among many other ecosystem functions and processes (Mace et al., 2012), it creates the conditions necessary for the existence of both humans and ecosystems. Hence, biodiversity loss directly affects the very foundations of human well-being and threatens global stability by jeopardising our food systems, water security, human health, economic systems and cultural heritage. 

With this in mind, it is ironic that it is humans who are driving biodiversity loss through overexploitation and poor management of natural resources, unsustainable practices, and land conversion (Jaureguiberry et al., 2022). But before we look at the concrete implications, we need to ask a question: what is the real extent of biodiversity loss? 

Today, we are witnessing an alarming decline in global biodiversity: more than a million species are threatened with extinction and many critical ecosystems destroyed or severely degraded (IPBES, 2019). In fact, some habitats have lost more than 90% of their native species, both in marine and terrestrial ecosystems (CBD, 2020). The decline is being exacerbated by climate change causing increased storm surges, sea level rise, droughts, heat waves, wildfires and ocean acidification. Global ecosystem collapse may be closer than we think if we fail to mitigate these trends. The implications would be far-reaching and catastrophic, extending beyond ecological concerns. So how does biodiversity loss affect our society?

Food and water insecurity triggers crisis

Biodiversity loss is a major threat to global food security and nutritional quality. As the genetic pool shrinks, species, including agricultural crops, fish and animals, become more vulnerable to diseases, pest outbreaks and extreme weather events, which can disrupt or lead to widespread failure of food systems (FAO, 2019). In addition, agricultural systems around the world are already vulnerable to extreme droughts.

Wetlands, rivers and lakes are being drained and polluted, losing their ability to provide essential services. This not only affects the immediate availability of clean water, but also has long-term implications for the regulation of the water cycle and climate, and exacerbates the challenges of food production. The collapse of freshwater or food systems triggers competition over depleting resources such as food, water and land, leading to conflicts and even geopolitical tensions (ACAPS, 2022).

Climate change, extreme weather events and natural disasters on the rise

Forests, wetlands and oceans play a vital role in absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide, but as they are degraded, this capacity is reduced. More importantly, deforestation results in the loss of critical carbon storage capacity and the release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere, creating an effect opposite to that designed by nature (Mitchard, 2018). We are at risk of turning major carbon sinks, such as tropical rainforests, into carbon emitters. This creates a vicious feedback loop: declining biodiversity weakens ecosystem resilience, which accelerates climate change, causing further biodiversity loss.

Many ecosystems also act as natural buffers against environmental hazards. For example, wetlands absorb floodwaters, mangroves and coral reefs protect coastal areas from storm surges and rising sea levels, forests prevent soil erosion, and urban ecosystems reduce the exposure of populations to extreme heat (MEA, 2005). However, their protective functions are diminishing along with biodiversity, threatening lives, livelihoods and infrastructure in affected areas.

Health hazards and loss of medical resources

As natural habitats shrink, nature's ability to regulate pathogens decreases while wildlife is forced into closer contact with humans, increasing the risk of diseases including zoonotic disease transmission and pandemic outbreaks such as Ebola or COVID-19 (Keesing et al. 2010; Das Neves, 2020). Ecosystem degradation generally affects air and water quality, which in turn affects human health. Loss of contact with natural habitats has also been shown to increase stress and decrease mental health (Hartig et al., 2014).

Additionally, biodiversity is critical to public health in both disease prevention and treatment, as many modern medicines are derived from plants, animals and microorganisms found in rich ecosystems. In fact, more than 50% of pharmaceuticals originate from nature (Newman and Cragg, 2012). With species going extinct, we lose potential sources for new treatments and cures.

Economic instability and social disruption on the rise

As a result of the above impacts, the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems leads to reduced productivity and increased costs in economic sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and tourism (Dasgupta, 2021; Kumar et al., 2024). This has a direct impact on job security and income globally. But it is not only the economy that is affected; biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation exacerbate inequalities, affecting the poorest whose livelihoods depend heavily on natural resources (Roe et al., 2011). Biodiversity loss erases these livelihoods, cultural identity and traditional knowledge, leaving communities socially fragmented and disconnected, and further contributing to global migration.

Shortages or increased costs of vital resources such as food and clean water lead to increased poverty and social unrest, displacing millions of people who can no longer farm, hunt, or fish in their homelands (Kumar et al., 2019). These societal disruptions amplify the already profound ecological and economic consequences of biodiversity loss, threatening the economic and social stability of entire regions.

COP-ing with biodiversity loss

The above-mentioned impacts of biodiversity loss have, unsurprisingly, received attention in recent decades from policy makers on all levels of governance. Most importantly, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), often referred to as the "Paris Agreement for Nature", adopted at COP15 in Montreal in 2022, is considered a landmark agreement. 

The KMGBF includes 4 goals to be achieved by 2050 and 23 targets to be achieved by 2030. One of its purposes is to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, aiming for the vision to ultimately live in a world in harmony with nature by 2050 (CBD, 2022). Several targets received more attention than others, such as the so-called 30x30 targets to conserve 30% of the world’s land and 30% of the ocean by 2030, and the target that developed countries should mobilise $30bn for developing countries by 2030 (CarbonBrief, 2022).

The world comes together again this year at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, in Cali, Colombia. The slogan of the COP16 is “Peace with Nature”, overall striving to “call for reflection to improve the relationship we have with the environment, to rethink an economic model that does not prioritise the extraction, overexploitation and pollution of nature” (COP16, 2024). In practical terms, at the COP16 the Colombian government plans to launch a Global Coalition called Peace with Nature, and, more procedurally, will focus on the beginning of the implementation of the KMGBF.

Will we succeed, will we fail? 

To achieve all the goals set forth in the KMGBF, Parties to the Convention also agreed to publish National biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) ahead of COP16 (CBD, 2024). The NBSAPs should reflect the countries' vision for biodiversity, as well as their policies and actions to fulfil the objectives of the Convention and the KMGBF. However, a few days before COP16, more than 85% of countries are likely to miss the deadline for submitting their new contributions to the global effort to restore and protect biodiversity (CarbonBrief, 2024).

Alarmingly, only a few of the "megadiverse" countries, which together hold 70% of the world's biodiversity, have published their strategies and plans to translate the KMGBF into concrete steps that can be implemented on their territories. At the same time, a CarbonBrief tracking tool provides an overview of the updated NBSAPs and sheds light on their content, revealing to what extent the new goals and targets have (not) been reflected in the new documents.

Moreover, according to the KMGBF, at least $20bn per year should be mobilised to developing countries by 2025, and at least $200 bn per year by 2030, which is one of the most politically sensitive issues. At the same time, it was agreed that Parties will identify by 2025, and eliminate or reform incentives that are harmful for biodiversity, reducing them by at least $500 bn per year by 2030 (REF12). With these numbers in mind, it is necessary to acknowledge that global environmentally harmful subsidies are approaching $2.6 trillion annually (Koplow and Steenblik, 2024). 

While it is obvious that biodiversity loss matters and that we should care, it is also quite clear that the global community is not doing enough to halt it. It is critical to mainstream biodiversity in all various policy areas and other ongoing formal processes, such as the upcoming “climate” COP29, to take place in November 2024. The COPs may bring together many stakeholders and help highlight new alarming research on biodiversity and climate, but it is unclear whether this mobilisation will be enough for transformative action. Meanwhile, gaps remain in understanding how different drivers of biodiversity loss interact with climate risks. Increased funding for research and national monitoring programs is essential to develop more effective policy responses.

At the same time, impactful movement can also begin "at home" by recognizing and embracing the intrinsic values of nature and dissolving the current dichotomy between nature and humanity, for we are part of one living system, regardless of our identity and social status. Policymakers can support such nature-positive pathways by fulfilling their promises and implementing systemic reforms across sectors, including by pushing for greater integration of environmental education into public discourse to increase environmental literacy. As a society, we must understand the urgency of biodiversity loss and the need for collective action to restore the delicate balance of life on Earth.

Written by Simeon Vaňo, Romana Jungwirth Březovská and Alejandra Viesca-Ramirez from the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences - CzechGlobe.

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