Global biodiversity collapse is imminent unless we take urgent, concerted action to reverse species loss in the tropics, according to a major scientific study.
In “The future of hyperdiverse tropical ecosystems,” one of several articles on the tropics in the current issue of the journal Nature, an international team warns that failure to act quickly and decisively will greatly increase the risk of unprecedented and irrevocable species loss in the most diverse parts of the planet.
The study is the first high-level report on the state of all four of the world´s most diverse tropical ecosystems — tropical forests, savannas, lakes and rivers, and coral reefs.
The authors found that although the tropics cover just 40% of the planet, they are home to more than three-quarters of all species including almost all shallow-water corals and more than 90% of the world’s bird species. Most of these species are found nowhere else, and millions more are as yet unknown to science.
“At the current rate of species description — about 20,000 new species per year — it can be estimated that at least 300 years will be necessary to catalogue biodiversity,” said Dr. Benoit Guénard, of the University of Hong Kong and an author of the study.
And across tropical ecosystems, many species face the ‘double jeopardy’ of being harmed by both local human pressures — such as overfishing or selective logging — and droughts or heatwaves linked to climate change.
The declining health of tropical ecosystems also threatens the well-being of millions of people across the planet.
While the conclusions are bleak, the study also outlined the actions that are needed to turn the health of these vital ecosystems around.
The researchers have called for a step-change in efforts to support sustainable development and effective conservation interventions to preserve and restore the tropical habitats that have been the home and last refuge to the overwhelming majority of Earth’s biodiversity for millions of years.
Adapted from a news release issued by the University of Lancaster, July 25, 2018.
Abstract of “The future of hyperdiverse tropical ecosystems” in Nature, July 26, 2018. Subscription required to access the full article.