Biodiversity

The rapidly declining biodiversity on land and in the sea is a serious risk to the food security of mankind.

When we have defeated nature, we will find ourselves on the losing side.
Translated quote from: Konrad Lorenz, biologist and Nobel Prize winner. 1903 - 1989

In 2022, 2.4 billion people, comprising relatively more women and people living in rural areas, did not have access to nutritious, safe and sufficient food all year round.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 - in brief. FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. PDF.

While fossil records show that extinctions of species happen naturally, current extinction rates are estimated to be 100 to 1000 times higher today than what is considered natural.
Elizabeth Claire Alberts. Global biodiversity is in crisis, but how bad is it? It's complicated. Mongabay Series. 11. April 2022

Wallpapers AI generated image 2024  + © Momo0607 + © Frank Wortmann | Shutterstock, Inc. [US] 2021/2023

Biodiversity means «biological variety» or «variety of life». Biodiversity can be described on three levels: the diversity of genes, the diversity of species and the diversity of habitats. These three levels of biodiversity are closely and dynamically interlinked.

Biodiversity is not only in itself worth preserving, but also provides indispensable services for society and the economy, so-called ecosystem services. The diversity of these services is immense: Among other things, biodiversity provides food, influences the climate, maintains water and air quality, is a component of soil formation and, last but not least, offers people space for recreation.
Translated from: Beate Kittl. 2024. Fragen und Antworten zur Biodiversität in der Schweiz. WSL Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft

In 2022, 188 countries agreed at the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference with a ground-breaking final declaration to protect at least 30 per cent of the world's land, sea and inland waters by 2030.

© salcovern | Shutterstock, Inc. [US] 2023 

Land use change linked to massive expansion of globalized, highly commercialized industrial agriculture is the main overarching driver of declining agrobiodiversity.

Globally, the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations] estimates that 75 % of crop diversity was lost in the 20th century. Historically about 7,000 plant species were cultivated for food, today only about 80 plant species make major contributions to food supplies at the global level.

In fact, half of all plant-based calories come from only three species - rice, maize, and wheat. And 93 % of global meat supplies come from just four animal species - pigs, poultry, cattle, and buffalo.

Looking ahead, restoring agrobiodiversity - the richness of what we cultivate, breed, consume, and conserve in the wild - is crucial to ensure resilient food systems against the backdrop of climate change.
Swiss academies factsheets Vol.15 No.1. 2020. Variety is the source of life: Agrobiodiversity benefits, challenges, and needs. PDF

The production of meat and dairy products already takes up 70 - 80 per cent of global agricultural land*), although it only covers 18 per cent of humanity's calorie requirements and 37 per cent of its protein needs.
Poore et al., Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science 360, 987-992 (2018)
*) Cultivation of animal feed and grazing land for animals

Almost all of the world's mammal biomass is humans and livestock. Both account for 95% of all mammals. Humans 36 %, our livestock and pets, which are primarily cattle, 59%.

That leaves just 5% as wild mammals, which includes thousands of different species, from elephants and deer to lions and whales.
Accordingt to: Our World in Data. Almost all of the world's mammal biomass is humans and livestock. December 01, 2025

Global wildlife populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians have declined by an average of 73 % since 1970. This corresponds to an average annual decline in observed population sizes of 2.6 per cent.
Source: WWF. 2024 Living Planet Report. Executive Summary. PDF

Biodiversity is experiencing a dramatic, human-induced mass extinction worldwide. This also greatly reduces the capacity of ecosystems to contribute to climate regulation and food security.

Only if there is a fundamental change in the way we manage land can we reach the targets of climate-change mitigation, avert the dramatic loss of biodiversity and make the global food system sustainable. 
WBGU German Advisory Council on Global Change. 2020. Rethinking Land in the Anthropocene: from Separation to Integration. PDF

© Kichigin | Shutterstock, Inc. [US] 2023 

Driven by climate change, marine biodiversity is undergoing a phase of rapid change that has proven to be even faster than changes observed in terrestrial ecosystems.
Hodapp D. etal. 2023. Climate change disrupts core habitats of marine species. Global Change Biology, 00, 1–14.

The oceans are home to an estimated one million animal and plant species. The phytoplankton in the oceans produce as much oxygen as all land plants combined.
Translated from: Greenpeace Schweiz. 2023. Wer atmet braucht das Meer.

In seeking to curb climate change and biodiversity loss, the following steps are important:

Transformative change to a sustainable economic system. The economic development of countries and companies must also be measured by their management of natural resources.

No subsidies harmful to the climate and biodiversity. Countries around the world spend much more on environmentally harmful subsidies than on measures to protect the climate and biodiversity.

Radical reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Only rapid decarbonisation can curb climate change. Agricultural GHG emissions from land-use change are also to be minimised.

Overcoming land-use conflicts. The use of land for buildings, transport, food production, climate protection and biodiversity conservation needs to be coordinated.

Environmental regulations for the financial sector. The financial sector has a major influence on economic activities which are harmful to biodiversity and the climate.

Reduced consumption of meat and dairy products. Natural ecosystems must no longer be converted to plantations, arable land or livestock farms. The agricultural, forestry and fishing sectors must sustainably manage those areas already in use. This also requires changes in dietary habits.

More funding for conservation. To achieve conservation goals, countries around the world need to invest many times the amount that is currently expended. 
Ismail SA et al. (2021) Tackling climate change and biodiversity loss jointly. Swiss Academies Factsheet 16 (3). PDF