What is causing biodiversity loss?

Our planet has experienced five previous mass extinction events in which high percentages of species or biodiversity die out, the last one occurring 65.5 million years ago.

We have entered the sixth and this one is being driven not by natural phenomena like the others, but by human activity.

The five main drivers of biodiversity loss include: changes in land and sea use; the exploitation of natural resources; climate change; pollution and the spread of invasive species.

Land-use change is the biggest threat to nature, but if we fail to limit warming to 1.5°C, then climate is predicted to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the future. The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are interlinked and interdependent, which is why protecting forests is so important. 

Forests cover almost a third of Earth’s land area and they harbour most of its biodiversity. They also capture and store carbon, making them one of Earth’s most important carbon sinks along with oceans and soil. For more information on carbon sequestration, click here.

It is therefore vital that we protect all forests, not just the iconic tropical rainforests. Temperate forests are also under threat, including our very own Swiss forests which, let us not forget, are vital for almost half of all our species.