Ecosystems are constantly changing and species are always disappearing as environmental conditions change and they are no longer able to survive.This is a natural process, but it happens over long periods of time allowing new species to evolve and keep ecosystems functioning.
However, species are now disappearing many times more quickly than by the natural processes of evolution and extinction. It is now clear that human activities are either the direct or indirect cause of the current high rates of extinction.
As species disappear, gaps begin to appear in the ecosystems. Small at first but as each species relies upon others, losing one has a knock-on effect, causing others to be adversely affected. As more and more gaps appear, the whole ecosystem will begin to break down and many of the other species will be lost as well. This will have wide reaching social, economic and psychological effects on us, as we struggle to live without the most basic and fundamental requirements that all animals need.
Factors involved in the loss of biodiversity include:
It is essential that we all take action to conserve the biodiversity around us – not just for today but for future generations.