Global species assessments paint a dreary picture of biodiversity loss, a crisis that is only beginning to gain more widespread attention. Globally, there has been a roughly 73 percent reduction of all biodiversity in less than 50 years; this is a catastrophic decline with potentially huge ramifications.^[1] A further 40.7 percent of amphibians, 25.4 percent of mammals, 13.6 percent of birds, and 21.1 percent of reptile species are threatened with extinction globally.^[2] This biodiversity loss is a consequence of large-scale land use changes as we have transitioned natural ecosystems to serve human needs and desires. Already humans have significantly altered roughly 75 percent of Earth’s ice-free land,^[3] polluting the majority of its oceans and waterways in the process^[4] and destroying more than 85 percent of wetlands worldwide.^[5] Biodiversity is in a precarious state. If we are going to protect areas in which wildlife can thrive again, urgent action is required.

When it comes to reducing land use inefficiencies, agriculture is the perfect place to start. Agriculture occupies 50 percent of all habitable land around the world. Of the 51 million square kilometers used for agricultural production, 77 percent is for the production of livestock, with the remainder occupied by crops grown for direct human consumption. In turn, the 40 million square kilometers used for meat and dairy production supplies only a meager 18 percent of the global calorie supply, with the remaining calories coming from plant-based sources.^[6]

Said another way, less than 12 percent of habitable land supplies 82 percent of the global calorie supply. This means if there was a transition to entirely plant-based diets, we could conserve 50 percent of all habitable land, promoting wildlife and biodiversity without reducing our ability to feed the world. Better yet, whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diets promote healthier outcomes while reducing the incidence of chronic diseases and lifestyle-related illnesses affecting more than half of Americans today.^[7]

Based on archeological records, scientists estimate that it takes roughly 100 million years for biodiversity to return and thrive following a mass extinction event.^[8] Humans have only been around for roughly 200,000 years, so it’s difficult to imagine the world in 100 million years. While life will eventually return in some form or another, the question facing us now is critical to our existence. Agriculture will be central to our response, but can we implement changes fast enough to save the planet’s biodiversity and ultimately ourselves?

References

1. “68% Average Decline in Species Population Sizes since 1970, Says New WWF Report.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, 9 Sept. 2020, https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/68-average-decline-in-species-population-sizes-since-1970-says-new-wwf-report
2. “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, https://www.iucnredlist.org/
3. Ellis, Erle C, and Navin Ramankutty. “Putting People in the Map: Anthropogenic Biomes of the World.” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, vol. 6, no. 8, 2008, pp. 439–447., https://doi.org/10.1890/070062
4. Theo Whitcomb March 24, 2022 Like Tweet Email Print Subscribe Donate Now. “Report: Over Half of U.S. Waters Are Too Polluted to Swim or Fish.” High Country News – Know the West, 24 Mar. 2022, https://www.hcn.org/articles/water-report-over-half-of-u-s-waters-are-too-polluted-to-swim-or-fish
5. “Wetlands Update–Has Preservation Had an Impact?” Scientific American, Scientific American, 9 July 2008, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wetlands-update/.
6. Poore, J., and T. Nemecek. “Reducing Food’s Environmental Impacts through Producers and Consumers.” Science, vol. 360, no. 6392, 2018, pp. 987–992., https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaq0216
7. “Prevalence of Multiple Chronic Conditions among US Adults, 2018.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 Sept. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/20_0130.htm
8. University of Texas at Austin. “Evolution imposes ‘speed limit’ on recovery after mass extinctions.” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190408114252.htm (accessed January 25, 2023).