How does biodiversity loss affect ecosystem services and human well-being?
October 23, 2024
Biodiversity loss significantly impacts ecosystem services and human well-being by disrupting the intricate balance of ecosystems and their ability to provide essential benefits. Ecosystem services, including provisioning (food, water), regulating (climate control, disease regulation), and cultural (recreational, spiritual) services, are deeply intertwined with biodiversity (1, 3, 5, 7). The loss of biodiversity reduces ecosystem resilience, affecting the capacity to provide these services and exposing humans to increased risks (4).
Biodiversity underpins ecosystem processes and functions, contributing to human health and welfare. Its decline threatens food security, health, and even spiritual needs by affecting ecosystem services crucial for survival (11, 47). These disruptions can result in poorer environmental quality, less resilience against natural disasters, and greater disease prevalence (43, 11).
There is an inherent trade-off in managing ecosystem services to balance human needs against biodiversity conservation (12). Technological advances might temporarily decouple human well-being from degrading ecosystems but can’t replace the full spectrum of services provided by biodiversity (2). Research highlights that ignoring these trade-offs can lead to wider societal challenges, including increased poverty and conflicts (5, 28).
There is a need for integrative research frameworks that consider socio-economic and ecological dimensions together. For example, linking ecosystem services and human needs through innovative tools can help guide effective policy-making for better outcomes (9, 34). Additionally, conservation strategies that address both biodiversity and ecosystem services can help mitigate the adverse effects on human well-being while supporting overall ecosystem health (6, 26).
Efforts must focus on enhancing our understanding of the dynamics between biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being to shape policies that promote sustainable practices globally (42, 49). Ultimately, maintaining biodiversity is crucial not only for ecological health but also for the sustained provision of ecosystem services critical for human development and survival (50).
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