The Five Biggest Threats to Biodiversity on Earth

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)'s Living Planet Report 2020, threats to the environment are becoming increasingly serious. This is reflected in the ecological footprint, a measure of humanity's impact on nature, which continues to increase.

The biggest threat to biodiversity worldwide is land and water use change (50%). This includes continuous deforestation, unsustainable agriculture, and mining/excavation.

The second biggest threat is overexploitation of species (24%), where humans intentionally kill specific species/animals for trade or mass capture.

The third threat is the invasion of species/animals and the spread of disease (13%). The invasion of certain species/animals occurs because their original habitats are damaged, forcing them to seek other habitats and attack native species/animals. Invasive species/animals can also spread new diseases previously unknown in the environment.

Meanwhile, the fourth and fifth threats are pollution (7%) and climate change (6%). Pollution can affect the food availability and reproduction of species/animals. Climate change can also disrupt the migratory and reproductive signals of species/animals.

The report also states that the world has lost more than two-thirds of its wildlife population in less than 50 years (1970-2016). The WWF warns that humans are damaging nature at an unprecedented rate.