1 Million Species Face Extinction Threat

Nature is the most precious gift of God to us. We must use the natural resources judiciously so that our future generations can also benefit from the same. Humans are the most evolved and capable living beings.

But unfortunately humans are the ones who destroy and harm nature the most. Due to human interventions with the nature, the entire ecosystem has been disturbed. Human activities are largely impacting lives on land, in seas and in the skies. Nearly one million animal and plant species are presently threatened with extinction. The nature everywhere is declining at a speed never previously seen and our increasing need for more food and energy are the main driving force behind this. It is important to put a stop on such activities but that will indeed require "transformative change" in every aspect of how humans interact with nature. The UN report on the subject has briefed about the fact that the human activities hamper the processes of the nature and the ecosystem such as the pollination of crops by the bees, holding back of flood waters by the forest trees. It has taken around three years for this assessment to complete. It draws on 15,000 reference materials, and has been compiled by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). It consists of a total of 1800 pages. A 40 pages summary has been published which reflects and talks about the ill behavior of the humans in their only home i.e. the planet earth. Lately, these ill activities of the humans have turned into deep scars. As times are progressing the need for food, trade and energy is on the rise. In order to fulfill the increasing demands, forests are being cleared at a very fast rate. As far as the wetlands are concerned, only 13% of those present in 1700 still in existence in the year 2000. According to the global assessment, on an average nearly 25% of animals and plants are presently threatened. The accurate global trends in insect populations are unknown but rapid declines in some locations have also been well documented. All this points at one thing that almost around a million species are facing extinction within decades in the present day. This rate of destruction is ten to hundred times higher than the average over the past 10 million years. In order to save the planet earth, we all need to join hands and work together.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48169783