Researchers say that everything we do creates an impact on both animals and plants and that everything eventually comes around to make life difficult for us too. But researchers suggest that there's still time to change because there are still specific strategies to stop mass extinction.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota and McGill University think that we are on the brink of mass extinction as, we, humans are expanding our footprints on Earth without considering and paying attention to consequences on other living things.
Biologist Andrew Gonzalez of McGill University, Forest Isbell of the University of Minnesota, and other co-authors of the research presented an overview of what we need to learn and what we already know about the impact of overhunting, habitat destruction, the introduction of non-native species, as well as human activities on biodiversity.
Researchers have summarized the prior research to clearly reveal how biodiversity loss the benefits of nature. For example, a recent study reveals that decreasing the diversity of tree species in forests reduced the production of woods. Findings from other studies were also synthesized, they determined that humans obtain 10 times of benefits because of biodiversity. The result suggests that investments in protecting species decrease biodiversity loss and will also give economic benefit.
Isbell said that human activities will likely trigger the sixth mass extinction, despite the fact that diversity of life improves human's benefits from nature, like livestock forage from grasslands, wood from forests, and fish from streams and oceans.
Gonzalez also added that biodiversity has an important role in UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) that aims to make human well-being for long-term. By achieving the goal of UN SDGs, actions are needed to restore and conserve the biodiversity from local up to the global systems.