A month ago, human impact on the planet reached a symbolic level when it was estimated that man-made stuff, such as buildings or infrastructures, now outweighs all life on earth. In parallel, the latest findings on the state of biodiversity reveal an unprecedented decline: one million animal and plant species are threatened by extinction, many within decades.
Globally speaking, the significant loss of biodiversity generated directly or indirectly by human activities is not new, but it is hard to keep turning a blind eye when the link is clearly established between the Covid-19 pandemic – which has affected everyone’s life worldwide – and the loss of biodiversity.
The biggest environmental catastrophe of all time is unfolding in front of us day after day; yet it is barely noticed. Why is it crucial for humanity to act now and what can be done?
Biodiversity: the cornerstone of every aspect of human life
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biodiversity as ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.’ In other words, it is all life on earth.
The centrality of biodiversity in human life is best illustrated through its inextricable connection with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Going further than SDG 14 and 15 which address, respectively, life below water and life in land; healthy ecosystems also underpin the good functioning of many societal and economic activities, from agriculture to tourism, while providing natural and cost-efficient solutions to tackle climate change.
The last reminder - and possibly the most striking - of the importance of preserving biodiversity for humans has been highlighted in a recent report from the IPBES on biodiversity and pandemics. Three features of biodiversity loss are considered to play a particular role in the emergence of pandemics. Firstly, the extinction of species is a factor favouring the appearance of zoonotic infections. Indeed, the species that survive and thrive (such as bats and rats) are the ones most likely to carry pathogens that can be transmitted to humans. Secondly, land-use changes, including deforestation, lead to the disappearance of natural habitats, and consequently of species living in them, incentivising pathogens to look for new hosts such as humans. This phenomenon is not new, previous diseases such as Ebola or HIV have emerged in areas affected by deforestation. Finally, wildlife trade - unregulated and sometimes illegal – increases the contact between wildlife, livestock, humans and pathogens. If these factors are not addressed, more global pandemics are expected to emerge. It is estimated that up to 827,000 undiscovered viruses existing in mammals could be transmitted to humans.
One would not argue that most people want ‘to hurt nature’. The link between our everyday activities and the consequences they have on biodiversity is not always clear. Yet, it is important to make it visible and to explain them to society at large.
The loss of biodiversity is not threatening the planet, but humanity
For people to feel concerned by the link between human activities and the loss of biodiversity - as well as its potential consequences - it seems important to emphasise the following point: while we depend on the planet’s stability to survive, the Earth does not need us to exist. The living world - the biodiversity - is key to this stability and human existence: the oceans and forests locking away carbon, animal manure fertilizing soils, plants serving as medicine, or pollinator species being the greatest farmers on Earth. Human activities are altering those crucial natural phenomena.
The consequence of these destructive interactions between humans and biodiversity is increasing rapidly, leading to the 6th mass extinction in history according to scientists. The last one, a meteorite provoking sudden change in the Earth’s condition, led to 75% of species being wiped out (including dinosaurs). But the planet rebuilt and became the world we know: the Holocene, one of the most stable periods in the Earth’s history. The lesson to draw from the past is clear: most species did not survive the mass extinction but the planet did: it rebuilt itself. Today, human activities are the meteorite, and if the 6th mass extinction was to take place, our civilization would not survive. This should trigger a radical change of perspective: the fight against biodiversity loss is not about saving the planet, but saving ourselves. The health of ecosystems is the health of humans, as highlighted by the ‘One Health’ initiative taken by the WHO to implement policies in various sectors where public health outcomes are at stake.
Beyond this dramatic outcome, the mere fact that human lifestyle is having such an impact on biodiversity and that we are entering an era of global pandemics, should be enough to awaken everyone. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to stop and mitigate human activities that drive both climate change and the loss of biodiversity, as well as pave the way for pandemics. Moreover, a recent study also demonstrated a strong economic incentive to tackle the root causes of pandemics: the estimated cost of prevention is 100 times smaller than the estimated cost of responses to the diseases.
Beyond wishes, concrete policy actions to implement
Ambitious objectives and plans have been set up at European level with the European Green Deal and specifically the EU Biodiversity strategy 2030. However, on the other hand, the European Union is still adopting policies contrary to those goals, such as the recent Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which favours intensive agriculture and does not take environmental standards into account enough nor sufficiently implement green conditionality.
Scientists have identified the areas in which we need to act if we want to reverse the dramatic loss of biodiversity, paying particular attention to the prevention of future pandemics. Curbing the wildlife trade is therefore crucial: from shutting down illegal markets to better regulating legal ones with adequate sanitary standards. Furthermore, as deforestation and species extinction have been identified as main factors which contribute to pandemics, preserving and restoring healthy ecosystems to protect both species and their habitats should also be a priority. To this end, a recent scientific study published in Nature has identified priority areas for restoration among ecosystems which have been converted to agricultural land, demonstrating that the restoration of 30% of these priority areas would prevent more than 70% of species extinctions.
Concerning the financial investment necessary to implement these policies, international tools already exist such as the UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), bridging financial gaps to develop a strategy for biodiversity. Their methodology is now implemented in 35 countries and could – should – be extended.
Fewer words, more action
All signals are red: humanity, through the disastrous consequences of its activities on biodiversity, is a threat to itself. The Covid-19 pandemic is only a symptom of this situation. If we do not wish to see this past year becoming our ‘new normal’, we have no choice but to act on the root causes of this crisis and to align all policies towards the crucial goal of preserving the stability of our planet through biodiversity.
On 11 January 2020, a ‘One Planet Summit’ for biodiversity was held by the French President Emmanual Macron, bringing together world leaders, public and private actors, around ambitious new announcements and initiatives for nature. Let’s make only one wish come true for 2021: to see all these beautiful promises finally turning into concrete actions and policies.
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