{"id":711,"date":"2019-03-04T14:58:04","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T14:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=711"},"modified":"2019-03-04T15:02:36","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T15:02:36","slug":"sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

Alarming declines in the number of insects, vertebrates and plant species around the world have raised fears that we are in the midst of a sixth major extinction that could cause a collapse of the natural ecosystems we rely upon to survive.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n

Urgent international action is needed to halt this potentially catastrophic decline in biodiversity, according to Professor Georgina Mace, head of the Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research at University College London, UK. She has argued that the threat is so severe that\u00a0<\/strong>biodiversity loss needs to be addressed on a global scale<\/strong><\/a> in a similar way to climate change.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re hearing a lot about\u00a0<\/strong>biodiversity loss<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0at the moment. What\u2019s the latest situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The evidence from all of the recent studies \u2026 indicates it is increasing. We’re losing biodiversity more quickly than we did in the past.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you look at extinction rates, which is hard because you need to be sure something is really extinct, they are probably\u00a0100-1,000 times higher\u00a0<\/a>than in pre-human times.<\/p>\n

\u2018Another way of measuring (biodiversity) is to look at the abundance of life rather than numbers of species. For vertebrates (birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals) there is a fairly good estimate that more than\u00a050% of the vertebrate abundance has been lost in the past 50 years<\/a>. The information for invertebrates and plants is less good, but there is some evidence to suggest insects are declining just as quickly, if not more so. One recent paper showed the\u00a0mass of insects is falling by 2.5% a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Then we are also losing the interactions between these species.\u2019<\/p>\n

Why should we be worried?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The diversity of life on Earth is the defining feature of our planet \u2013 we don\u2019t know of any other planets that have life on them. We developed and evolved with other species here, and their diversity allows us to\u00a0thrive. So, it’s very reckless to assume that we can do without them and that we don’t have some responsibility for all those other species.<\/p>\n

\u2018Then there are some of the benefits of biodiversity that we largely take for granted. These are things like primary production, which is the way plants convert energy from the sun and is the basis for all life on Earth. Wild species break down organic material back into nutrients, so it can be recycled and used again. The water cycle also relies heavily on living organisms.<\/p>\n

\u2018Finally, there is a utilitarian view about the value of nature to us. It provides us with goods and services like pollinating crops, or timber production or novel drugs from tropical plants. If we lose pollinators that are specially adapted to a particular plant, even if we have more widespread invasive pollinators coming in, they may not be able to pollinate that plant.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n

‘The diversity of life on Earth is the defining feature of our planet.’<\/p>\n

Professor Georgina Mace, University College London, UK<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

What is driving these losses?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018We can see four main drivers of extinctions due to humans. First we overexploited and ate our way through species like wild grazers such as cattle and many large birds including the dodos. Then there was a second wave caused by invasive species and pathogens transported around by European\u00a0colonisations.<\/p>\n

\u2018Then, land use change has probably become the dominant problem as we cut down forests and plough up intact grasslands \u2026 for agriculture, roads and urban settlements and local pollution causes further threats.<\/p>\n

\u2018The next one coming down the road is climate change. At the moment it is not a major cause of extinctions, but will be in the coming decades.\u2019<\/p>\n

Is the focus on climate change overshadowing action on biodiversity loss?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018I do think it\u2019s been overshadowed, but not unreasonably. It is relatively easy for science to show that climate change will have significant impacts on millions of people.<\/p>\n

\u2018We haven\u2019t been able to pinpoint these urgent problems from biodiversity loss in the same way. Perhaps the loss of pollinators and the impact this will have on food production is the most distinct example we have, but it is still hard to put a finger on what is going to happen and who\u00a0will be most affected.<\/p>\n

\u2018(But) by treating these two major problems separately, we\u2019ve lost sight of the real wins there could be in addressing them in tandem.\u2019<\/p>\n

How could they be tackled together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018One of the\u00a0recommendations from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change<\/a>\u00a0is to restore vegetation and plant new vegetation that is efficient at drawing carbon out of the atmosphere or storing it in the soil. So, that could be by planting new forests or maintaining\u00a0mangroves, seagrass beds and existing forests.<\/p>\n

\u2018Maintaining intact tropical and temperate forests does a lot for climate mitigation. It also does a lot for soil quality, for flood regulation and does a lot for biodiversity. Treating them together has many win-wins for people and nature that we are not seeing in the policy responses at the moment.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\"Prof.
Prof. Mace says that we need to address the food system which is the major driver of biodiversity loss. Image credit – Courtesy of Professor Georgina Mace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

What else can be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018The obvious thing to do is to address the main driver of biodiversity loss, which is the food system. At the moment, there is a concern about whether we’re going to be able to feed a world of 10 or 12 billion people, particularly when we are facing climate change and losing biodiversity.<\/p>\n

\u2018The policy responses at the moment deal with food through intensive agriculture, biodiversity with protected areas, climate with emissions reductions mainly in industry. We’re missing that sweet spot of using the landscape in a way that would achieve multiple goals.<\/p>\n

\u2018For example, you might have landscape that has mixed agroforestry and fewer livestock. You could have more arable areas interspersed with high biodiversity landscapes to keep the pollinators.\u2019<\/p>\n

Is this why you have argued for a biodiversity equivalent of the\u00a0<\/strong>Paris Agreement<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on climate change<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018We need to recognise that most of the drivers of biodiversity loss are international issues. In the UK for example, probably more than 60% of our food footprint is in other countries.<\/p>\n

‘This had led to suggestions that we need something more concrete to aim for, equivalent to limiting global warming to 1.5\u02daC on pre-industrial levels. Something concrete like that might change people’s minds about the need to act and help us track progress.<\/p>\n

‘But it is hard to set these sort of targets as biodiversity is much harder to measure and the impacts of losing it are hard to pinpoint. Some of the processes biodiversity contributes to are so fundamental that they are effectively existential. Without them we wouldn’t be here at all.\u2019<\/p>\n

What will happen if we don’t take action?<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘It is very difficult to say. There are various predictions about what may happen if we continue to deplete biodiversity – we could end up having to replace crop pollinators with genetically engineered crops, or we will lose some of the fruit and vegetables that require insect pollinators. Or we may find that whole forest stands are vulnerable to invasive diseases because there isn’t the diversity there to resist them. Simplification of forests could mean they are less able to cope with climate change, then we might also lose their ability to slow down water and so we may get more flooding.<\/p>\n

\u2018You can come up with all these scenarios but none of them are easy to predict with any certainty.\u2019<\/p>\n

How optimistic are you about the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘Back in 2010 I felt a bit more positive about it, because there was a strong and consistent set of targets from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Aichi, Japan, in 2010. They seemed like a good framework for action, but it is difficult to point to many successes as a result of that strategy. There has only been modest progress in a couple of areas, such as increasing protected areas.<\/p>\n

\u2018I don’t think we’ve really tried hard enough yet. If we were to take action across sectors and at scale, then I think we could reverse the trend. Natural systems do have a lot of built in resilience and are good at bouncing back.<\/p>\n

‘But we need to get on with it pretty quickly.\u2019<\/p>\n

Professor Mace advises the EU on biodiversity issues and has worked with the EU-funded BiodivERsA consortium which promotes pan-European research on biodiversity and ecosystems.<\/em><\/p>\n

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alarming declines in the number of insects, vertebrates and plant species around the world have raised fears that we are in the midst of a sixth major extinction that could cause a collapse of the natural ecosystems we rely upon to survive. Urgent international action is needed to halt this potentially catastrophic decline in biodiversity, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":322,"featured_media":712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[234,4,25,79,24],"class_list":["post-711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-energy-environment","tag-biodiversity","tag-environment","tag-innovation","tag-research","tag-science"],"yoast_head":"\nSixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alarming declines in the number of insects, vertebrates and plant species around the world have raised fears that we are in the midst of a sixth major extinction that could cause a collapse of the natural ecosystems we rely upon to survive. Urgent international action is needed to halt this potentially catastrophic decline in biodiversity, ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-04T14:58:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-03-04T15:02:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1346\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1040\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Richard Gray\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Richard Gray\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Richard Gray\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/042c9393ea152c13c0b8b9ba82055602\"},\"headline\":\"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-04T14:58:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-04T15:02:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1447,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"biodiversity\",\"environment\",\"innovation\",\"research\",\"science\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Earth, Energy & Environment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2019\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-04T14:58:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-03-04T15:02:36+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg\",\"width\":1346,\"height\":1040,\"caption\":\"Today's extinction rate is probably 100-1,000 times higher than in pre-human times according to Professor Georgina Mace. Image credit - Paul VanDerWerf, licensed under CC BY 2.0\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/711\\\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/042c9393ea152c13c0b8b9ba82055602\",\"name\":\"Richard Gray\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0fb7fc92c5bb1fcd60351c743b49fd95f24fb8e4a238bab4922f42709dcbd847?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0fb7fc92c5bb1fcd60351c743b49fd95f24fb8e4a238bab4922f42709dcbd847?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0fb7fc92c5bb1fcd60351c743b49fd95f24fb8e4a238bab4922f42709dcbd847?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Richard Gray\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/richardgray\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert","og_description":"Alarming declines in the number of insects, vertebrates and plant species around the world have raised fears that we are in the midst of a sixth major extinction that could cause a collapse of the natural ecosystems we rely upon to survive. Urgent international action is needed to halt this potentially catastrophic decline in biodiversity, ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_published_time":"2019-03-04T14:58:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-03-04T15:02:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1346,"height":1040,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Richard Gray","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Richard Gray","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/"},"author":{"name":"Richard Gray","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/042c9393ea152c13c0b8b9ba82055602"},"headline":"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert","datePublished":"2019-03-04T14:58:04+00:00","dateModified":"2019-03-04T15:02:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/"},"wordCount":1447,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg","keywords":["biodiversity","environment","innovation","research","science"],"articleSection":["Earth, Energy & Environment"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2019","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/","name":"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg","datePublished":"2019-03-04T14:58:04+00:00","dateModified":"2019-03-04T15:02:36+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg","width":1346,"height":1040,"caption":"Today's extinction rate is probably 100-1,000 times higher than in pre-human times according to Professor Georgina Mace. Image credit - Paul VanDerWerf, licensed under CC BY 2.0"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/711\/sixth-mass-extinction-could-destroy-life-as-we-know-it-biodiversity-expert\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sixth mass extinction could destroy life as we know it\u2013 biodiversity expert"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/042c9393ea152c13c0b8b9ba82055602","name":"Richard Gray","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0fb7fc92c5bb1fcd60351c743b49fd95f24fb8e4a238bab4922f42709dcbd847?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0fb7fc92c5bb1fcd60351c743b49fd95f24fb8e4a238bab4922f42709dcbd847?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0fb7fc92c5bb1fcd60351c743b49fd95f24fb8e4a238bab4922f42709dcbd847?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Richard Gray"},"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/richardgray\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/16025059897_3d21227cb9_o.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-bt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1861,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1861\/climate-change-and-biodiversity-loss-should-be-tackled-together\/","url_meta":{"origin":711,"position":0},"title":"Climate change and biodiversity loss should be tackled together","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"November 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"More than 200 world leaders are gathering in Glasgow, Scotland for the United Nation\u2019s climate summit to discuss climate change. \u00a0 Described as the world\u2019s best last chance for action, the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) formally opens on 31\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/tree_on_globe_shutterstock_1838645686.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/tree_on_globe_shutterstock_1838645686.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/tree_on_globe_shutterstock_1838645686.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/tree_on_globe_shutterstock_1838645686.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/11\/tree_on_globe_shutterstock_1838645686.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":950,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/950\/public-action-and-fundamental-social-change-needed-to-reverse-biodiversity-decline\/","url_meta":{"origin":711,"position":1},"title":"Public action and \u2018fundamental social change\u2019 needed to reverse biodiversity decline","author":"Steve Gillman","date":"September 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Getting the general public to monitor local plants and animals could help paint a clearer picture of the global biodiversity crisis, but fundamental social change is needed if we are to reverse the loss of nature critical to our survival, say biodiversity experts. A million species are under threat of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/forestchildren.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/forestchildren.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/forestchildren.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/forestchildren.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/forestchildren.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/forestchildren.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2622,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2622\/here-there-everywhere-environmental-dna-clues-to-biodiversity\/","url_meta":{"origin":711,"position":2},"title":"Here, there, everywhere: environmental DNA clues to biodiversity","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"December 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Traces of life in the environment reveal ecosystem health, prompting a scientific hunt for them. By Jack McGovan During her doctoral studies in 2009, Professor Kristy Deiner trudged around mountain lakes in the US state of California to help a scientist and park manager study frogs there. A fungus-like pathogen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/27eDNA.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/27eDNA.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/27eDNA.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/27eDNA.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/27eDNA.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/27eDNA.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2439,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2439\/animal-heredity-sheds-light-on-survival-and-extinction-risks\/","url_meta":{"origin":711,"position":3},"title":"Animal heredity sheds light on survival and extinction risks","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"July 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As biodiversity declines and causes reductions in the genetic variation of animals, historic genomes offer clues for conservation. By\u00a0\u00a0MICHAEL ALLEN As recently as the early 1800s, thousands of Seychelles paradise flycatcher birds lived on at least five islands off the southeast coast of Africa. By the 1960s, just 28 of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/26.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/26.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/26.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/07\/26.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2361,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2361\/butterflies-and-dodos-hold-clues-to-protecting-biodiversity\/","url_meta":{"origin":711,"position":4},"title":"Butterflies and dodos hold clues to protecting biodiversity","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"April 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Although too late for the famed flightless bird, new scientific findings on the winged insects could help preserve animal species. By\u00a0\u00a0MICHAEL ALLEN Yolanda Melero, an ecology researcher in Spain, has a bit of good news to offset some of the increasingly unsettling scenarios regarding biodiversity. As part of an EU-funded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/25-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/25-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/25-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/25-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/25-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/25-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2868,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2868\/going-with-the-flow-water-becomes-economic-and-biodiversity-driver-in-europe\/","url_meta":{"origin":711,"position":5},"title":"Going with the flow: water becomes economic and biodiversity driver in Europe","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"October 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"EU-funded researchers are seeking innovative ways to preserve water and biodiversity across the continent. Both are vital to human life and European economies, but are increasingly under pressure. By Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro On the plains of Crau in southern France, EU-funded researchers are pioneering a new approach to water conservation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/01.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/01.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/01.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/01.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/322"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}