Final answer:
Biodiversity faces threats such as habitat loss, introduction of exotic species, overharvesting, and climate change. Conservation efforts, like establishing protected areas and legislative measures, are essential in safeguarding biodiversity and ecological processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Threats to Biodiversity
Biodiversity is essential to maintaining the health of our planet's ecosystems and the services they provide. However, it is under threat from several factors. The core threats to biodiversity
are:
- Habitat loss, which can occur through deforestation, damming rivers, and other human activities that alter the natural environment.
- The introduction of exotic species, which can disrupt local ecosystems and lead to the extinction of native species, particularly in isolated environments like islands and lakes.
- Overharvesting, especially of aquatic species and in the case of bush meat, threatens species' survival.
- Climate change predicts a significant cause of extinctions in the coming century by forcing range changes in species, altering the timing of food resource availability, and raising sea levels.
Conservation efforts include establishing protected areas, habitat restoration, and legislative measures such as the Endangered Species Act, and international treaties such as CITES. These measures aim to safeguard biodiversity and ensure the persistence of ecological processes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species plays a crucial role in identifying species at risk and guiding conservation efforts.