The Sixth Extinction: Navigating the Biodiversity Crisis

Introduction to the Biodiversity Crisis

Unless you’ve been hibernating, you know that planet Earth is in the midst of a full-blown, global-scale biodiversity crisis. Biodiversity refers to the total number of organisms across the planet that are present in ecosystems, species, and genes. With humans having already exterminated 83 percent of known wild mammals and about one-half of all identified plants, the urgency to act has never been more apparent. The WWF’s 2022 Living Planet Report highlights a staggering average 69 percent decline in the relative abundance of monitored wildlife populations around the world between 1970 and 2018. This crisis is further exacerbated by the adverse impacts of climate change, making biodiversity loss a pressing issue that requires immediate and comprehensive action.

Business as Usual for Biodiversity Protection

Various initiatives have been implemented to preserve biodiversity, ranging from international collaborations and ecosystem restoration to pollution controls and scientific studies. These efforts have made an impact, yet as the late naturalist E.O. Wilson pointed out, they fall “far short of what is needed to save the natural world.” The conservation movement has managed to slow the extinction rate but has not reversed it to prehuman levels. This calls for a more ambitious and comprehensive approach to protect our planet’s resources on a global scale.

Solving the Biodiversity Crisis

Four global-scale initiatives have been identified as essential to develop a strategy that can stem the current crisis and enable the natural world to repair itself. These include mapping Earth’s biodiversity, rewilding the world, mobilizing the private sector, and managing our way to a sustainable population level. Each of these initiatives requires unprecedented collaboration, funding, and commitment. From scientists racing to map the planet’s biodiversity to businesses beginning to recognize their role in protecting the natural world, the path forward involves a comprehensive, global effort.

Mobilizing the Private Sector

Businesses play a crucial role in biodiversity protection. The World Economic Forum ranks biodiversity loss as one of the top five threats humanity will face in the next decade. Companies are encouraged to report nature-related risks, understand and mitigate biodiversity risks across supply chains, and explore alternative materials in product innovation. This shift in business priorities towards sustainability is beginning to take shape, but more widespread adoption and action are necessary.

Managing Our Way to a Sustainable Population Level

Human consumption outpaces the Earth’s ability to provide resources, with current trends intensifying as the population grows. However, some regions are already at or below the population replacement level, thanks to greater schooling and economic empowerment of women. Supporting women through foreign direct investment, multilateral aid, and private sector efforts can accelerate progress in birth rate declines, thus relieving pressure on biodiversity resources.

“If global biodiversity is given space and security,” Wilson asserted, “most of the large fraction of species now endangered will regain sustainability on their own.” The time to act is now, with commitment and ambition at the forefront of the global agenda.