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Posted: 23rd May 2023

New study into global loss of biodiversity
Researchers found that 33 per cent of species currently considered 'safe' are declining towards risk of extinction.
Researchers found loss of biodiversity worse than previously suspected.

Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, have led a new study into the global decline of animal biodiversity caused by human industrialisation. The findings show that almost half the species on Earth are currently declining, which is worse than previously suspected.

The study, which is the most comprehensive research of its kind to date, looked at changes in population densities of more than 70,000 species of animals over time from all over the world. 

Identified as one of the most serious challenges to humanity in the coming decades, the global decline of biodiversity is said to threaten ecosystems, food production, the spread of disease, and the stability of the global economy.

The health of the world's biodiversity is traditionally measured using the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Species are assigned to the list upon assessment, and it currently shows that 28 per cent of the world’s animal species are threatened with extinction.

The researchers undertook a global-scale analysis of a different measure of extinction risk to see if population sizes of a species are declining, remaining stable or are increasing over time. Using this method, they found that 48 per cent of species are declining towards extinction, and only 3 per cent of species are increasing in population size. 

They also found that 33 per cent of species currently considered ‘safe’ by the IUCN conservation categories, are declining towards risk of extinction. 

Dr Daniel Pincheira-Donoso, principal investigator of the project said: “This new study method and global-scale analysis provides a clearer picture about the true extent of global erosion of biodiversity that the traditional approach cannot offer. 

“Our work is a drastic alert about the current magnitude of this crisis that has already devastating impacts on the stability of nature as a whole, and on human health and wellbeing.” 

Catherine Finn, leading author on the research commented: “Almost half of animals on Earth for which assessments are available are currently declining. To make matters worse, many of the animal species that are thought to be non-threatened from extinction, are in fact progressively declining.” 

‘More losers than winners: investigating Anthropocene defaunation through the diversity of population trends’, can be read online.



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