There have been five Mass Extinction events in the history of Earth’s biodiversity, all caused by dramatic but natural phenomena. It has been claimed that the Sixth Mass Extinction may be underway, this time caused entirely by humans.
A comprehensive assessment of the evidence of this ongoing extinction event was published January 10, in the journal Biological Reviews by biologists from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France.
Conservative initiatives have been put into place to halt species loss by protecting 30 percent of Earth’s marine and land area by 2030 – a target at the focus of international negotiations set for later this year.
The UN biodiversity summit is to be held in China this April, and the new goals are intended to take the convention past 2020, the year that a previous set of targets expired. At the core of the plan is the goal, sometimes referred to as “30 by 30,″ for the percentage of their territory countries should set aside for protection by the end of the current decade.
However, one expert report suggests that these efforts may not succeed unless “transformative” parallel changes in the way humanity use the planet’s resources are also made, reports the Globe and Mail.
“These initiatives cannot target all species, and they cannot reverse the overall trend of species extinction,” reads a press release that accompanied the study.
The study found that since the year 1500, as many as 7.5 to 13 percent of Earth’s two million known species have already gone extinct. This translates to between 150,000 and 260,000 species.
Determining the onset of Mass Extinction event
Robert Cowie is the lead author of the study and a research professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Pacific Biosciences Research Center, according to CTV News Canada.
“Drastically increased rates of species extinctions and declining abundances of many animal and plant populations are well documented, yet some deny that these phenomena amount to mass extinction,” Cowie says.
“This denial is based on a biased view of the crisis which focuses on mammals and birds and ignores invertebrates, which of course constitute the great majority of biodiversity.”
Invertebrates are animals that do not have a backbone. Within this grouping, there is an amazing variety of complex life forms: from sponges and starfish to earthworms, clams, spiders, and butterflies. Of the roughly 1,500,000 different species of animals in the world, more than 95 percent are invertebrates.
“Including invertebrates was key to confirming that we are indeed witnessing the onset of the Sixth Mass Extinction in Earth’s history,” said Cowie.
Unfortunately, along with science denial taking a foothold in modern society on a range of issues, the new study points out that some people also deny that the Sixth Extinction has begun.
Others accept it as a new and natural evolutionary trajectory, as humans are just another species playing their natural role in Earth’s history. Some people even believe that biodiversity should be manipulated solely for the benefit of humanity.
“Humans are the only species capable of manipulating the biosphere on a large scale,” Cowie emphasized. “We are not just another species evolving in the face of external influences. In contrast, we are the only species that has a conscious choice regarding our future and that of Earth’s biodiversity.”
What can we do to halt this Mass Extinction event?
A mass extinction event generally involves the loss of at least 75 percent of species. While the study noted that the current ongoing extinction crisis has not yet hit such a high rate of extinction, there is still potential for this to happen in the future, and scientists argue it’s in the process of happening right now.
The researchers suggest that conservation efforts should continue in order to prevent further damage to species and that more research on existing species must be prioritized.
“The biodiversity that makes our world so fascinating, beautiful, and functional is vanishing unnoticed at an unprecedented rate,” the study reads.
“In the face of a mounting crisis, scientists must adopt the practices of preventive archaeology, and collect and document as many species as possible before they disappear.
“Denying the crisis, simply accepting it and doing nothing, or even embracing it for the ostensible benefit of humanity, are not appropriate options and pave the way for the Earth to continue on its sad trajectory towards a Sixth Mass Extinction.”
