Biodiversity Conservation Network
Facts on the Foundation of Life
Threats to Biodiversity
Although it is clear that biodiversity conservation is vital to human survival, living resources are increasingly threatened around the world. Some of the most direct threats and illustrative examples include:
- habitat destruction (burning or felling of old-growth forests)
- overexploitation (overhunting of elephants and rhinos)
- pollution (industrial emissions that cause acid rain)
- global climate change (the greenhouse effect and destruction of the ozone layer)
- invasion by introduced species (displacement of native songbirds in the U.S. by European starlings)
These direct threats are often driven by underlying social conditions, including increased per-capita consumption, poverty, rapid population growth, and unsound economic and social policies.
