Biodiversity On Earth Plummets, Despite Growth in Protected Habitats

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Despite rapid and substantial growth in the amount of land and sea designated as protected habitat over the last four decades, the diversity of species the world over is plummeting, a new study has found.

Over 100,000 so-called "protected areas" representing some 7 million square miles of land and nearly 1 million square miles of ocean have been established since the 1960's, noted the analysis, published Thursday in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series.

And yet, according to a widely cited index used to track planetary biodiversity, the wealth of terrestrial and marine species has seen steady decline over roughly the same period, suggesting that simply protecting swaths of land and sea -- a common conservation strategy worldwide -- is inadequate for preventing the steady disappearance of earth's creatures.

"The problem is bigger than one we can realistically solve with protected areas -- even if they work under the best conditions," said Camilo Mora, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and lead author of the study. "The protected area approach is expensive and requires a lot of political and human capital," Dr. Mora continued in an email message to The Huffington Post. "Our suggestion is that we should redirect some of those resources to deal with ultimate solutions."

The steady loss of biodiversity -- defined roughly as the rich variety of living things -- can, in turn, have profound implications for human civilization, which relies on healthy, variegated ecosystems to provide a host of ecological services from water filtration and oxygen generation to food, medicine, clothing and fuel.

( For the study...
'Ongoing global biodiversity loss and the need to move beyond protected areas: a review of the technical and practical shortcomings of protected areas on land and sea'
Please see:
www.int-res.com... )


Though news like this doesn't surprise me anymore, I am always saddened and frustrated by it. An internal struggle brews wondering what one can do to reverse these ecological catastrophes, there MUST be something we can do right? I can only hope so... however, some say hope is deadly... it can paralyze with passive optimism. Perhaps we need to act, perhaps this is the crucial time to either do something REAL about ecological collapses, or just lapse into narcissism, denial, apathy, and/or voracious hedonism.





One way or another, as Joplin said, freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. Though... I'll pass on the sort of perverted "freedom" that comes from the loss of other species...

Protected land is for alot more than just protection of life there. It preserves the land also but as someone who works alot in these places I will say that things change regardless. It is also important to note that just because there are protected areas doesn't stop the natural cycle from happening. Species will still go extinct and disappear sometimes no matter how well protected they are.

Reply to post by kro32

I agree there is still the natural selection factor. But I dont think I can deny the affect we have had on the decline in biodiversity as a species through urban sprawl and deforestation.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

bunch of bullsquat. in real areas where ACTUAL efforts are made, species thrive. recently, for instance, eagles are kicking ass across the country. however as far as biodiversity goes, the most of that occurs in the rainforest, which is still going out like no ones business.

stop effing with the rainforest and that will change fast. and the oceans ain't fairing much better, all the "protection" we supposedly give hasn't stopped the texas sized trash pile, hasn't stopped the oil leaks and chems used to fight it, hasn't stopped the mass fishings and huntings of aquatic mammals.

species don't take such a turn for the worst within mankind's prominence cause of mere coincidence or natural order. life is a hard thing to wipe out especially considering it has a will and want to live and is also adaptable.

we did this.

reply to post by wingsfan


Tell that to the dinosaurs

Originally posted by kro32
reply to post by wingsfan

 

Tell that to the dinosaurs

Who said the dinosaurs were killed by humans?? NOBODY.

What you're trying to say is that, since the dinosaurs weren't killed off by humans, then nothing can be killed off by humans... that kind of logic is below even a child. C'mon man...

The mass extinction occurring RIGHT NOW is caused by humans, it's called the planet's 6th Great Extinction Event, get educated:

www.actionbioscience.org...