Biodiversity loss threatens ecosystem services and food security

A comprehensive evaluation of 423 studies involving over 222,000 data points reveals that nature possesses fewer functional reserves than previously assumed. Research led by Emma Moffett of King’s College London, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, indicates that species loss significantly impairs essential ecosystem services, including pollination, water purification, and carbon sequestration.

Findings suggest that biodiversity loss could weaken climate protection efforts, as marine carbon storage is exceptionally sensitive to the disappearance of various species. Contrary to previous ecological assumptions that species might mutually replace one another in their functional roles, the study shows that additional species often enhance natural services rather than merely fulfilling existing tasks.

In Europe, the decline of wild pollinators like wild bees and hoverflies poses a direct threat to agriculture. Research from the University of Hohenheim suggests that without the pollination services of wild insects, European crop yields for items such as rapeseed, legumes, apples, and pears could drop by approximately eight percent, resulting in annual economic damages totaling billions of euros.