Biodiversity is threatened by the following:
* Habitat Destruction
Deforestation is a direct cause of extinction and loss of biodiversity. An estimated 18 million acres of forest are lost each year, due in part to logging and other human practices, destroying the ecosystems on which many species depend.
* Climate Change
Changes in climate throughout our planet's history have, of course, altered life on Earth in the long run ecosystems have come and gone and species routinely go extinct. But rapid, manmade climate change speeds up the process, without affording ecosystems and species the time to adapt. For example, rising ocean temperatures and diminishing Arctic sea ice affects marine biodiversity and can shift vegetation zones, having global implications.
* Overpopulation
* Overexploitation
Bacause of overpopulation, people will need food and water. And now, hunters hunt animals for their needs. They do illegal poaching and illegal hunting.
* Pollution
Overhunting, overfishing and over-harvesting contribute greatly to the loss of biodiversity, killing off numerous species over the past several hundred years. Poaching and other forms of hunting for profit increase the risk of extinction; the extinction of an apex predator — or, a predator at the top of a food chain
From the burning of fossil fuels (releasing dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere and, in some cases, depleting ozone levels) to dumping 19 billion pounds of plastic into the ocean every year, pollution completely disrupts the Earth's ecosystems. While it may not necessarily cause extinction, pollutants do have the potential to influents species' habits.
