The first-ever Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has been released. The Report is termed as the first-ever such comprehensive report. It took three years for a group of 145 expert authors from 50 countries to prepare this report based on more than 15,000 scientific and government documents. It primarily looked or analysed the impact of economic development on nature and ecosystems.

Body:

Findings of the report:

• The report identified a range of risks, from the disappearance of insects vital for pollinating food crops, to the destruction of coral reefs that support fish populations that sustain coastal communities, or the loss of medicinal plants.
• It found that the average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20%, mostly since 1900.
• The threatened list includes more than 40% of amphibian species, almost 33% of reef-forming corals, and more than a third of all marine mammals.
• The picture was less clear for insect species, but a tentative estimate suggests 10% are at risk of extinction.
• Productivity in 23 per cent of global land has reduced due to land degradation.
• Up to $577 billion in annual global crops are at risk from pollinator loss and 100-300 million people are at increased risk of floods and hurricanes because of loss of coastal habitats and protection.

Causes:

• This loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world.
• Human-induced loss in ecosystems: Three-quarters of the land-based environment and about two-thirds of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human actions, says the assessment.
• Nearly 75 per cent of all freshwater resources are now used for crop and livestock rearing activities.
• Changes in land and sea use
• direct exploitation of organisms
• pollution
• invasive alien species
• Climate change caused by burning the coal, oil and gas produced by the fossil fuel industry is exacerbating the losses, the report found.

Way forward:

• The report says there is still an opportunity for human beings to live in harmony with nature.
• But there has to be a change in the way how natural resources are governed, and things are produced and consumed.
• This is inevitable in terms of economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.
• By transformative change, that is a fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values.
• The findings will also add to pressure for countries to agree bold action to protect wildlife at a major conference on biodiversity due to take place in China towards the end of next year.
• Compartmentalisation must give way to an integrated and synchronised approach. India and the world have the knowledge and regulatory framework required for the transformation.