Why we need biodiversity

Today, there are 60 per cent fewer vertebrates on Earth than in 1970, while in Germany, typical bird species in the agricultural landscape declined by more than 36 per cent between 1998 and 2009. In the coming decades, the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) warns in its "Global Status Report on Biodiversity" from May 2019 that up to one million more species could be lost worldwide. The decline is leading to a loss of goods, services and values for humans - it is threatening our entire ecosystem.

The United Nations defines biodiversity as the variety of all living organisms, habitats and ecosystems on land, in fresh water, in the oceans and in the air. However, this biodiversity is under threat. In Germany, almost a third of all animal and plant species are considered endangered. The number of flying insects has declined by at least 75 per cent in the last thirty years and a good two hundred species of flowering plants are on the "Red List" of endangered plants in Germany.

In Germany - unlike in other European countries - there is no official and standardised nationwide monitoring of biodiversity. The "Biodiversity in the Agricultural Landscape" working group has used various sources to gain as comprehensive a picture as possible of the decline in species. According to this, a sharp decline can be documented in Germany, even in nature reserves. The causes lie in a combination of many factors, such as species-poor arable crops, pesticides and monocultures. The main problem overall is a change in land use that is destroying the habitats of animals and plants. And thus also our livelihood.

Animals and plants have important functions in the earth's ecosystem. Without them, we could not exist on our planet. Biodiversity provides food, provides active ingredients for medicines, is used for recreation and plays an important role in climate regulation. Species-rich forests and meadows can absorb more carbon and thus remove the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Different species also occupy different niches in the ecosystem. If species are missing, ecological cycles are disrupted. If insect species die out, for example, this has an impact on birds that feed on these insects, but also on the pollination of plants and therefore on the harvest. The decline in biodiversity is therefore also a threat to humans.

Scientists have tried to calculate these "services" provided by insects and come to the following conclusion: insects pollinate three quarters of all crops worldwide, providing a service worth 500 billion dollars a year. Nature also provides us humans with recreation. In its status report from May 2019, the World Biodiversity Council also emphasised the benefits of nature for human well-being. A diverse natural environment improves mental and physical health, also by providing diverse, varied food.

Published: October 2020