Can you imagine a skydiver pulling his own parachute in the middle of a fall? Since it is, essentially what humans are doing with the Earth as we expand our deep and corrosive footprint on it without paying adequate attention to the impacts on other living beings, according to a study developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University McGill (USA) and collected by the journal Nature. And it is that, we cannot forget, that because we depend on plants and animals to feed ourselves, to obtain water and clean air, etc … we, for our part, all we do is build an environment more and more difficult for life on this planet. The conclusion of all this is that we will also be the harmed.
Is everything lost? The work is hopeful and offers specific strategies to change that dire current before it is too late and we have to regret something much more serious.
Experts Forest Isbell, from the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota, Andrew Gonzalez, a biologist at McGill University, and scientists from eight countries on four continents, gave an overview of what we know today and what we still need to learn about the impact of habitat destruction, overhunting, and other human activities on biodiversity.
In addition, they summarized previous research on how the loss of biodiversity affects nature and the benefits that nature also provides us. For example, a recent study showed that a reduction in the diversity of tree species in forests is associated with a decrease in timber production.
“Human activities are driving the sixth mass extinction in the history of life on Earth, even though the diversity of life enhances many benefits that we reap from nature, such as wood from forests, cattle from grasslands. and fish in the oceans and streams. It would be wise to invest much more in conserving biodiversity, “says Isbell.
“Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals will require actions to conserve and restore biodiversity from the local to the global scale,” says González. Only in this way can we ensure long-term human well-being.
Reference: Linking the influence and dependence of people on biodiversity across scales. McGill University. Nature. doi: 10.1038 / nature22899
