Biodiversity loss
Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Environment and Sustainable Development"
Meaning
Biodiversity loss is the decline in the variety of life. That includes both genetic diversity (differences within a species) and species diversity (the number of different species). It matters because biodiversity keeps ecosystems working and sustains life, which is one of the environment's core functions. NCERT lists it among India's five priority environmental issues. The main causes are clearing forests for farms and mines, overuse and pollution.
Example
India is a megadiverse country. It has about 7-8% of the world's recorded species and 4 of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots: the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka and Sundaland (Nicobar). To protect this, India has the Biological Diversity Act 2002, amended in 2023. Globally, the Kunming-Montreal Framework (2022) aims to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 ("30x30").
Don't confuse with
- Land degradation: this is a decline in the quality of land, such as eroded soil or lost vegetation. It is a separate priority issue, though it often causes biodiversity loss.
Related concepts
- Poverty-induced degradation and pollution from affluence
- Land degradation
- Deforestation
- Soil erosion
- Open access resource
- Air pollution
- Industrial pollution
- Water pollution
- Groundwater overuse
- Virtual water