6 ways to protect endangered animals and plants

He World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) report It is the most comprehensive study of global biodiversity that exists to date. Experts from more than 50 countries worked on the analysis for three years, and their results were startling:

One million species of animals and plants are threatened with extinction more than ever before in human history.Speed to which we are losing species is unprecedented.More than 40 percent of amphibian species and more than a third of marine mammals are threatened. The same is true of approximately the ten percent of insect species.

Human beings are responsible for the extinction of species. The experts from the World Biodiversity Council are sure of this. Agriculture and climate change are destroying ecosystems. International political action is needed to stop the “sixth mass extinction” but we can all help:

1. Eat less meat or avoid it completely

According to the IPBES report, more than a third of the world’s land area is used for agriculture and more than 75 percent of freshwater resources. As a result, the habitat of wild animal and plant species disappears. They run out of space or can’t find enough food.

Most of the land is lost to crops that feed livestock. According to a study from the University of Oxford, humanity uses 83 percent of all agricultural land for meat production and dairy products.

In some areas of South America, for example, rainforests are being cleared to make way for soybean plantations. Many animal species that are already threatened with extinction live in tropical rainforests.

People who eat little to no meat and dairy are helping to protect ecosystems. Plant-based nutrition not only requires less farmland, it also releases fewer greenhouse gases overall.

2. Buy organic products

Farming is not just a problem because it takes up space. The pesticides used are toxic to many plants, insects, and small animals. Because insect mortality is increasing, experts are already talking about an “ecological Armageddon.”

When insects disappear, it also affects other animal species, especially those that feed on insects. It can be assumed that the death of the insects also contributes to the death of the birds.

Therefore, buy organic food, which They are not treated with pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. In addition, organic farms, especially smaller ones, offer a more diverse habitat for insects than large conventional farms. By the way, it is not only important that it be organic, the food must also be regional and seasonal.

3. Give up consuming palm oil

The rainforest is not only being destroyed for soybean plantations, but on a large scale, especially for palm oil. Palm oil is the most common vegetable oil in the world, it can be found in candy, detergents, cosmetics, and many other products. The demand for this oil is therefore high.

To accommodate palm oil plantations, companies in the Asia-Pacific region they are clearing acres of rainforest. The ecological paradise of the jungle has to give way to huge monocultures that help to exterminate animal species.

4. Do not eat fish that are in danger

Most of the fish that ends up on the plates of Europeans comes from overexploited populations. Tuna, mackerel, salmon or cod, all are at risk.

Commercial fishing threatens not only the fish that are eaten, but also many other marine animals. Most fishing methods generate large amounts of bycatch. Often these are larger fish such as rays or sharks. But also mammals like whales and dolphins, turtles and seabirds are regularly killed in the nets. Since the waters are vastly overfished, it’s best to think twice before eating fish.

5. Protect the climate

Many species are threatened by climate change. Higher temperatures or rising sea levels destroy their livelihoods. Therefore, the protection of the climate is always the protection of the species.

How can you protect the climate? Reducing your consumption of fossil fuels and also the consumption of goods that implies their transport over long distances. Reducing or avoiding meat consumption and choosing locally produced foods are other very effective measures.

6. Rethink consumption

According to the World Biodiversity Council report, Every year between 300 and 400 million tons of heavy metals are dumped into the water, solvents and toxic sewage sludge. In addition, there is pollution from plastics and fertilizers. There are currently more than 400 death zones in the oceans, which together extend over 245,000 square kilometers. That is an area that is equivalent to half of the Iberian Peninsula. In these areas plants and animals can no longer live.

Of course, substances like heavy metals and sewage sludge are residues from industrial plants. So the responsibility falls mainly on them. But ultimately the industry produces for us, in incredible quantities that are not absolutely necessary.

Actually, we don’t need a new mobile or two cars per household every two years. To protect the environment and therefore biodiversity, we have to break the spiral of consumption and buy fewer new products.