Biodiversity in drastic decline

World's biodiversity levels plummet - 8th November 2021

The UK, it turns out, might not be such a green and pleasant land after all, and it's certainly not a very diverse one.

New data indicates that it's one of the most nature-ravaged countries worldwide, having halved its biodiversity levels in recent years, ranking the UK in the unenviable position of last among the G7 group of nations, and in the worst 10 percent of countries globally.

Biodiversity is the Earth's extensive variety of flora and fauna and how they work in combination in complex ecosystems is the lifeblood of the planet, producing oxygen, water, nutrition and medicine. According to environmentalists, 90 percent biodiversity represents the reliable boundary after which the world hits tipping point, whereupon 'ecological meltdown' strikes.

Research leader, Professor Andy Purvis at London's Natural History Museum, highlights that biodiversity is more significant than having picturesque landscapes:

“It’s also what provides us with so many of our basic needs. It’s the foundation of our society.”

The institution has come up with a specialised tool, the Biodiversity Trends Explorer, which assesses the levels of natural biodiversity remaining internationally and nationally. The UK's lowly position in the league table is down to the industrial revolution's dramatic impact on nature.

The Museum's evaluation has been disclosed in advance of two major UN conferences. China, a mega-diverse country and home to 10 percent of plants and 14 percent of animal species globally, is hosting the Biodiversity Conference, while Scotland plays host to COP26.

Biodiversity is at grave risk, dwindling at a pace unprecedented in human history. This is evidenced by the fact that since 1970, numbers of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians have been decimated by 70 percent, with almost one in four animal and plant species nearing extinction.

Andrew Deutz, global policy lead of the charity Nature Conservancy, was thankful for the gathering momentum, commenting, “As with the accelerating climate emergency, what happens over the next year will - to a large extent - set humanity’s course for the rest of the decade; and what happens this decade is likely to define our prospects for the rest of this century.”