Biodiversity Articles

Italian Chub, Squalius squalus swimming in a pond at the Skradinski Buk Waterfall, Krka National Park, Croatia. Photo: K. Bradley, June 2024.

1st of May 2025

Why ecology is important

I have always been interested in ecology. When I was 15 years old, my father bought me an ecology book by an American ecologist, Eugene P Odum entitled Fundamentals of Ecology. It had first published much earlier, in 1953. Though at that age, some of the terminology and concepts where difficult to grasp, I did at least know what I wanted to do when I finished school. I wanted to become an ecologist. Shortly after receiving the book, I was having a routine dental check-up. The dentist making casual conversation asked me what I planned to do when I finished school. I was clear: “I am going to university to become an ecologist”. “That´s interesting he replied. I think he was amazed that a 16-year-old would be that clear as to his intentions!

I did go on to university (Trinity College Dublin) where I studied Natural Sciences majoring in Zoology. In my third year I was greatly influenced by a new lecturer in the department who had arrived at the start of term. He was a former graduate returning from various studies abroad in Ghana and Canada. I took his course on “limnology” – partly because it was exotic but especially because it took me into the world of ecology. The relationship between living organisms and their environment. I was totally taken by the subject and in particular limnology – the study of freshwaters. I stayed in TCD after graduating in Zoology, completing a Ph.D in freshwater ecology four years later. My research area focused on how different species of freshwater leech living in the same community coped with changes to their diet brought on by organic pollution. Fascinating!

40 plus years later, and after a career spent initially in academia lecturing on ecology and environmental management, then working in the European Commission on environmental policy issues, followed by several stints in management of international industry trade associations and consultancy, I now find myself semi-retired and pondering the perennial questions about man and his relationship with the environment and other species. I see a circle that is difficult to square no matter what way you try to approach it. The human species has had such an enormous impact on the planet´s ecology that it is difficult to see how we can sustain all of the species of plants and animals (that we know of) given our rapacious need for resources to sustain humanity and its systems.

Recently I finished reading a book called the Jewel Box: How Moths Illuminate Nature's Hidden Rules by Tim Blackburn. I had been prodded to read it by a zoologist friend who, now retired also, has taken up moth trapping as one of his hobbies. I will admit that moths are not my cup of tea, preferring their more daytime relatives, the butterflies, to them. Nevertheless, I dived into the book and what a good thing this turned out to be for me personally. I rediscovered ecology and why it is important. I was back in the world of species, populations, communities. Why species succeed and why they don´t.

You see the author very cleverly uses his own interest in moths and his moth trap on his roof in a suburb of London to illustrate the fundamentals of ecology that govern all the populations of species including homo sapiens. The environment is clearly a factor for all species. For instance, climate change is a significant environmental factor in the relative abundance of species and distribution of communities over time. On a more general level, we see changes in species abundance and populations due to changing land use (e.g. change and fragmentation of habitat), application of chemicals, water and air pollution. In terms of impact on species, populations and communities, all of the these largely human related elements over time can lead to species extinction (locally or generally).

Interestingly, trumping all of these factors, the author identifies the introduction of alien species and/or movement of species from where they are native to other locations as being perhaps the biggest destroyer of biodiversity. To quote him: “the number of species with which we share our homes, countries, regions and planet is ultimately the outcome of speciation minus extinction, with immigration also thrown into the mix. It should be obvious by now that we´re (i.e. man) seriously affecting the extinction rate. Its 100 to 1000 times above the rate we would expect. It’s as sobering to think that we are as good for the planet as an asteroid strike”.

I found this conclusion more than sobering. The last time there was an asteroid strike, it was the end of the dinosaurs. From a biodiversity policy perspective, it suggests that despite a lot of relative progress and much talk of a new compact or relationship with nature, we are not going to be able to turn around the extinction ship without more radical efforts to address our own consumption of resources.

Indeed, the author refers to this specific issue. In essence he says that without reduction in overall consumption, there will not be enough resources to keep the numbers of species (plant and animal) we have at the moment at a sufficient population level to survive. In other words, we need to address our consumption of “stuff” and also how we produce our food energy if we are to be serious about having a planet with a rich biodiversity. I can only agree with his prognosis. We talk a lot these days about the circular economy and designing products to minimise their impact on the environment, super. But should we not also look more seriously at our consumption patterns?

The Jewel Box has not only reawakened the ecologist in me, it has also reminded me of the fact that we humans are animals as well – thinking ones at that - with the ability to recognise problems and address them. Its time to look again and see how we can tread more lightly on the planet so we can continue to maintain and sustain a diverse range of habitats supporting the planet´s amazing diversity of life in all its forms.

 

References:

Bradley, M.D.K., Reynolds, J.D, Diet of the Leeches Erpobdella-Octoculata (L) and Helobdella-Stagnalis (L) in a lotic habitat subject to organic pollution. Freshwater Biology, 18 1987, p267-275.

"The Jewel Box: How Moths Illuminate Nature's Hidden Rules" by Tim Blackburn. ISBN: 978-1474624527. Published by Island Press in 2023.

February 7th 2024

Biodiversity trends - some progress a lot to do

Global biodiversity - where are we?

According to the IUCN, “biodiversity plays a critical role for human health and well-being, economic prosperity, food safety and security, and other important areas necessary for the individual and collective wellness of all human societies. Healthy ecosystems provide clean air, support food security, grant humans and wildlife access to freshwater, and support all of our livelihoods”. In other words human beings will not survive without respecting and taking care of it.

Data points 

Close to 15% of the Earth's land and 10% of its territorial waters are covered by national parks and other protected areas;

Coverage of marine protected areas increased by almost 300% in the last decade; 

Eight in 10 key biodiversity areas worldwide lack complete protection but crucial biodiversity zones are still left out (IUCN, 2016).

The target for terrestrial areas falls just short of the 17% 2020 target set by the UN Convention on Biodiversity (Aichi targets). But according to the IUCN, the last decade has seen remarkable progress in protecting the world's oceans. The size of marine protected areas has increased from just over 4 million in 2006 to nearly 15 million square kilometers today, covering four per cent of the Earth's oceans, an area almost the size of Russia. But for all the growth in coverage, much remains to be done to improve the quality of protected areas.

The IUCN and other conservation bodies have noted a number of issues which need to be addressed to ensure that global biodiversity commitments are met and that species and habitats can be sustained. These include:

  • Increasing the percentage of areas of importance for biodiversity that are strictly protected - currently less than 20% of the world's key biodiversity areas are completely covered by protected areas
  • Improving effective management of sites and areas. The IUCN have noted that less than 20% of countries have met their commitments to assess the management of their protected areas, raising questions about the quality and effectiveness of existing conservation measures
  • Providing investment, finance and training for protected areas. This is particularly important if countries and regions are ensuring sustainable management of fisheries, control invasive species, cope with climate change and reduce harmful incentives, such as subsidies, which threaten biodiversity.

What about the EU?

Data points 

EU Long-term monitoring of common birds in 25 EU Member States by the EEA shows significant population declines, particularly in farmland birds, with no signs of recovery. Between 1990 and 2019, the common bird index declined by 8%;

The decline in common farmland birds was much more pronounced, at 27%; while the common forest bird index increased by 5%.

EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 sets the target of legally protecting a minimum of 30% of EU land and sea. In 2021, 26.4% of EU land was protected, with 18.5% of this area designated as Natura 2000 sites and 7.9% having other national designations, representing over 100,000 sites in total.

Despite the efforts made by Member States, experts say the current network of legally protected sites is not sufficiently large to safeguard biodiversity and further expansion will be needed, both for Natura 2000 and for other national designations in order to reach the 2030 EU Biodiversity target of 30%.

However, the designation of protected areas is not in itself a guarantee of biodiversity protection. These areas need active management to maintain and enhance their conservation status. Without active management, there is the real risk of deterioration and even encroachment by human activities. The current controversy over the Andalusian government´s attempt to regularize illegal strawberry farming on the edges of the Coto Doñana - a UN Biosphere reserve and Natura 2000 site is a case in point.

The EEA, in a recent report, notes that the EU currently lacks comprehensive information on how effectively Natura 2000 sites are managed.

In addition, protected areas in the EU can no longer be managed as isolated units but need to be understood as part of a wider Trans-European network, as emphasised in the EU’s biodiversity strategy. This requires an ecologically coherent network that ensures both spatial and functional connectivity within countries and across borders, aided by natural capital investments, among other things.

Outlook

On paper, the global and EU efforts on conservation of important land and marine area appear to be on track in terms of area of land to be designated or protected. However, the positive general trend masks a range of issues and challenges ranging from climate change to habitat loss (e.g. human encroachment, land use change). To help manage and address these issues, the public policy response needs to double down on addressing the lack of finance, staff, staff training and enforcement of legal protections for sites and species. Raising the profile of biodiversity in terms of a policy priority would greatly help here, particularly in regional contexts such as in the EU, Africa, Asia and South America.