World leaders meet in Cali, Colombia, to agree on ways to save species from extinction and restore nature.
There are several ways to save declining species and restore their habitats so they can live safely. Under healthy conditions, biodiverse habitats can replenish our water, air and soil and reduce the risk of dangerous contagious diseases.
A major study this year revealed that conservation efforts are generally effective in reducing global biodiversity loss.
International researchers spent 10 years evaluating conservation measures, including the creation of protected areas, habitat restoration and eradication of invasive species.
They found that in the majority of cases (66%) these measures improved the state of biodiversity or reduced its decline.
The need for conservation projects like these is increasingly urgent. Two years ago, leaders from more than 100 countries joined the most ambitious international effort to save nature anywhere: to protect 30% of the world’s lands and oceans by 2030.
To date, the world is very far from reaching the global goal on biodiversity protection: according to the organization The Nature Conservancy (TNC), only 17% of emerged lands and 8% of oceans are under some form of protection designated, although the area over which protection is actually applied will likely be smaller.
Below, BBC Future Planet presents five proven ways to restore biodiversity and preserve nature.
1. Protect our oceans
Covering 70% of our planet and representing more than 95% of the biosphere, the oceans contain a wealth of biodiversity. But according to a recent report from the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, only 2.8% of the world’s oceans are actually protected and only 8.3% are preserved.
Marine protected areas (MPAs), if applied correctly, can become crucial refuges for biodiversity, protecting countless species from overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction. Countries that have created MPAs have shown large gains in biodiversity.
The Seychelles Islands, an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, for example, saw a huge return of whales after signing an agreement exchange of debt by nature: in practice, the country saw almost 22 million dollars of its public debt canceled in exchange for the creation of 13 MPAs.
Scientists have described the return of blue whales to the Indian Ocean as a “victory for conservation” after their population was decimated by the Soviet whaling fleet in the 1960s.
In October this year the Azores created the largest MPA in the North Atlantic: it covers 287 thousand km² and protects 30% of the sea surrounding the Portuguese archipelago.
Portugal’s first MPA was designed by local fishermen keen to protect the Algarve’s octopus and sardine populations.
Covering 156 km² of sea, with a no-fishing zone of 20 km², the area has given nature the chance to regenerate itself and ensure that viable food sources are available for a long time.
“For centuries, Azoreans have been linked to the sea and we want to ensure that this bond remains strong, supporting communities that depend on a healthy ocean,” says Luis Bernardo Brito e Abreu, advisor to the Azorean government.
“Our hope is that our action not only benefits our people and the wildlife of the Azores, but inspires the rest of the world to meet their global commitments to protect 30% of the oceans.”
2. Fight invasive species
Invasive species can devastate ecosystems and wildlife. They cost the global economy more than $423 billion each year and have been identified as a major driver of global biodiversity loss.
Since 1500, the introduction of invasive species has caused the extinction of 25% of plants and 33% of animals.
Removing these species from habitats is essential to contain biodiversity loss. But this is becoming increasingly difficult as climate change is causing the parasites to spread, expanding their range into new habitats that were previously very cold.
Olympic rowers and windsurfers have also begun to raise awareness of the environmental threat posed by invasive species by removing destructive fauna and flora from their boats and boards.
Meanwhile, chefs in the US and UK are serving squirrels, polygon Japanese and shrimp. Cooking with prolific pests is unlikely to eradicate them, but could educate the public about the dangers of invasive species, chefs say.
However, in some cases, total eradication is possible. The tropical island of Palmyra, in the central Pacific Ocean, managed to get rid of all 20,000 rats that dominated the atoll (a population density 10 times greater than in colder climates) in 2011.
Nature recovered after the eradication, native trees gained ground and two new crab species were observed on the islands for the first time.
3. Restore degraded wetlands
In addition to providing an essential home for wildlife, wetlands help prevent flooding, provide drinking water, and reduce coastal erosion. Wetlands are among the most degraded habitat types, with humans damaging 85% of these regions worldwide. But the opposite is also possible, that is, many wetlands will be restored to healthy conditions.
The world’s largest restoration of degraded habitats is underway in Florida, United States. The Everglades, a sprawling wetland once twice its current size, is being revitalized to improve the state’s diminishing water security and encourage the return of wildlife to the area.
In Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, local initiatives have transformed what was once a landfill into a wetland full of kingfishers, herons, waders and cormorants, as well as home to pink water lilies and water buffaloes.
Some wetlands can also be potent carbon sinks when healthy, making their recovery even more urgent in the race to curb climate change.
A Finnish fishing community has transformed the carbon-rich Linnunsuo peatland, once arid and polluted land used for peat extraction, into a home for waterbirds.
Just one year after the restoration in 2013, more than 100 species returned to Linnunsuo. Since then, another 100 species have been added.
Habitat restoration can occur in any degraded area, not just former industrial areas. Suddenly, your backyard could be the perfect place for a miniature wildlife refuge for aquatic and semi-aquatic species.
4. Save key species
All plants and animals live as part of a carefully balanced ecosystem, and when one element of this system is removed, the balance is lost. But there are some animals that carry more weight when it comes to maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
They are known as keystone species and their protection may be crucial to saving a number of other species that depend on their presence.
Ecosystem engineers are generally considered keystone species. In the United States, reintroduced beavers are busy rebuilding lost habitats for otters, turtles and fish.
Meanwhile, in the Galápagos Islands, giant tortoises “flatten” a landscape covered in woody plants, creating clearings used as runways and nesting sites by critically endangered wave albatrosses.
Just like in wetlands, water buffalo are transforming environments around the world, creating healthy habitats for all kinds of species, from frogs to bats to marsh grasses.
And in the Congo Basin, African elephants are spreading seeds and nutrients and helping trees grow and live longer.
One thing is certain, experts say: protecting key species is essential to conserving biodiversity.
Where bison have replaced livestock on Montana’s prairies, populations of native plants, prairie birds like sparrows, and ungulates like white-tailed deer and elk have increased—the diversity of life is increasing.
5. Bring forests back to life
The destruction of forests represents a serious threat to biodiversity worldwide. Between 2001 and 2011, the world lost 437 million hectares of tree cover.
Overall, by one estimate, nearly two-thirds of the world’s tropical forests have been degraded or destroyed.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, animal populations have declined by 95% over the past 50 years, due to intense deforestation and agricultural expansion.
When forests are properly protected, biodiversity thrives. In Ecuador’s Los Cedros rainforest, monkeys screech and around 400 species of birds caw. But it wasn’t always like this.
Los Cedros’ wildlife has been severely threatened by mining and deforestation.
In 2021, a judge ruled that clearing the forest for mining violated the constitutional natural rights of Los Cedros, a growing legal movement that recognizes the natural world’s inherent right to the same degree of protection afforded to individuals and corporations.
The forest has been granted legal status and has been transformed into a biodiversity sanctuary.
Planting trees is often cited as a simple answer to solving the climate crisis, but experts argue that protecting existing forests is the best way to sequester carbon and help biodiversity.
Natural forest regeneration, in which trees can regrow spontaneously with limited human intervention, is gaining ground around the world as a surprisingly effective conservation tool.
One study concluded that natural regeneration can potentially absorb 40 times more carbon than plantations and provide habitat for more species.
Read the full report (in English) on the BBC Future website.
Source: Terra
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