The direct drivers of recent global anthropogenic biodiversity loss

TLDR

Effective policies to halt biodiversity loss require knowing which anthropogenic drivers are the most important direct causes. The study aims to statistically synthesize empirical comparisons of recent driver impacts to identify the most critical direct drivers of biodiversity loss and to inform comprehensive policy actions. The authors performed a wide-ranging review and statistical synthesis of empirical studies comparing recent driver impacts. Land/sea use change dominates as the primary direct driver worldwide, followed by direct exploitation and pollution, while climate change and invasive species are less influential; the driver hierarchy differs between oceans and terrestrial/aquatic systems and varies by biodiversity indicator, with climate change more strongly affecting community composition than species populations.

Abstract

Effective policies to halt biodiversity loss require knowing which anthropogenic drivers are the most important direct causes. Whereas previous knowledge has been limited in scope and rigor, here we statistically synthesize empirical comparisons of recent driver impacts found through a wide-ranging review. We show that land/sea use change has been the dominant direct driver of recent biodiversity loss worldwide. Direct exploitation of natural resources ranks second and pollution third; climate change and invasive alien species have been significantly less important than the top two drivers. The oceans, where direct exploitation and climate change dominate, have a different driver hierarchy from land and fresh water. It also varies among types of biodiversity indicators. For example, climate change is a more important driver of community composition change than of changes in species populations. Stopping global biodiversity loss requires policies and actions to tackle all the major drivers and their interactions, not some of them in isolation.