Biodiversity encompasses the variety of species, habitats, and genetic resources and is central to the functioning of ecosystems. Current data show a significant decline in this diversity, caused in part by habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation. This page provides information on the importance, status, and development of biodiversity, as well as scientific approaches to its conservation.
Why we need biodiversity ▸
Butterflies, birds, bees, fish, plants—the diversity of animal and plant species has declined dramatically worldwide in recent years. In the coming decades, up to one million species are at risk of extinction worldwide, warns the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) in its “Global Status Report on Biodiversity” from May 2019. This decline is leading to the loss of goods, services, and values for humans—it threatens our entire ecosystem.
According to the report by the World Biodiversity Council IPBES, the main cause of species decline is changes in land use. These include increasing soil sealing, large-scale development, the loss of structural diversity in the landscape, and, above all, ever-larger areas of agricultural land. In addition, agriculture has become industrialized. Whereas farmers used to cultivate small, diverse fields, today there are predominantly monocultures with high-yield but species-poor crops.
In their statement from fall 2020, the Leopoldina, the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), and the Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities call for swift action. They state: “The decline in biodiversity in agricultural landscapes is so dramatic that serious consequences for the functioning of agricultural ecosystems and human well-being are to be expected in the future.” However, with the right measures, the decline in species in the agricultural landscape could not only be halted, but also reversed.
Landwende: How do we want to live in the future? ▸
Human use of land affects both global warming and biodiversity. Intensive agriculture with factory farming, monocultures, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides contribute significantly to the emission of climate-damaging greenhouse gases and the decline in biological diversity. To halt these developments, a land transition is needed, similar to the energy or mobility transition.
