Threats to Biodiversity Hotspots (HL) (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Threats to Biodiversity Hotspots

Habitat destruction

• Habitat destruction is the most significant threat to biodiversity hotspots

  • Deforestation in tropical rainforests is a major cause of habitat loss

    • For example, in the Amazon Rainforest, large areas are cleared for cattle ranching and soybean farming, threatening species like the jaguar and giant river otter

  • Deforestation is due to human activities, including:

    • Agriculture, particularly large-scale slash and burn 

    • Mining

    • Hydroelectric power

    • Logging

    • Road building and settlements

    • Wildfires: although they are typically natural, people can intentionally start wildfires, and human-induced climate change is associated with their increasing frequency and severity

• These activities lead to the fragmentation of habitats

  • Fragmentation makes it harder for species to survive and reproduce

Challenges of conservation in biodiversity hotspots

Biodiversity distribution

• Biodiversity is not evenly distributed across the globe

• Many biodiversity hotspots are located in developing countries, particularly around the tropics

• These regions often face challenges like:

  • Poverty

  • Political instability

  • Rapid population growth

• These challenges make conservation efforts more difficult

• Conservation strategies may conflict with economic development, as people in these regions rely on natural resources for their livelihoods

  • For example, in Indonesia, efforts to conserve tropical forests have to balance the needs of local communities that depend on farming and palm oil production

Lack of funding and resources

• Developing countries often have limited funding for conservation

  • This makes it harder for them to implement effective strategies to protect biodiversity hotspots

• International organisations and governments sometimes provide support

  • However, these efforts are often not enough to prevent habitat loss or species decline