Even if some people don't want to admit it, we have to face a sad truth: We are currently experiencing the greatest extinction of species since the dinosaurs involuntarily left the earth. Experts estimate that today's extinction rates are a hundred times higher than what would be "normal" under natural conditions1.
According to IUCN categories, giant otters, which are native to the Peruvian Amazon region, are critically endangered and are on the Red List.
But why is this actually so bad for us? Why should we do anything about it when there are still millions of animal and plant species worldwide?
The answer is obvious: species extinction harms both the ecosystems in which the affected species occur and neighboring regions. And in the long term, it also harms humans. The coordinated groups of species that can be found in intact ecosystems are connected to each other through fragile interdependencies. The different species support each other unconsciously, so to speak - and we are usually unaware of this. However, if one species disappears, this complex structure is completely disrupted.
Grizzly bears, salmon, orcas, and birds of prey - they are all interconnected in the sensitive ecosystem of the temperate rainforest.
A good example of this is salmon, which play a central role in the rainforests of western Canada. They are the link in an intricate cycle that includes many inhabitants. One fifth of the world's salmon originate in the rivers of the Canadian west coast. From there they migrate to the sea. During the salmon's journey, the rainforest ensures their well-being: the roots of the trees hold the banks together, branches and treetops shade the water and wood, leaves and needles provide important nutrients. Once in the sea, the salmon are an important source of food, for example for orcas. After two years in the ocean, millions of salmon migrate back to the streams where they were born and serve as food for many other animals on their arduous journey, including grizzly bears, coastal wolves, and numerous birds of prey. The fish are carried into the forest, where they eat the finest parts and leave plenty of leftovers that slowly decompose. In the process, they are broken down into their chemical components and supply the soil with important nutrients (e.g. nitrogen), which in turn benefit the trees.
If even a single salmon stream is disrupted by deforestation, resulting in siltation and a rise in temperature in the river, or disrupted by overfishing, the natural cycle is severely disrupted. If the salmon are missing, numerous hunters will lack food, which in turn has a negative impact on the nutrient supply of the plants in the rainforest.
Even the smallest creatures, such as the leaf-cutting ant, are of great importance for a functioning ecosystem.
Ecosystems that otherwise provide clean water and air, a food base for all inhabitants, and barriers against flooding and tsunamis, are no longer able to perform these functions beyond a certain point. They deny the service they once provided for free. They lose their resilience and become more vulnerable to harmful external influences.2,3
An example of this is the extinction of bees. According to estimates by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), around 35% of global agricultural yields depend directly on pollination by bees. A loss of these pollinators could lead to a drop in yields of up to 30%, which would result in economic losses amounting to billions of dollars for agriculture.4
According to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), global losses due to the destruction of coral reefs could amount to up to 2.7 billion dollars per year in the coming decades. These losses result from damage to the fishing industry, as well as the loss of tourism and coastal protection services.5
The figures speak for themselves: the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) speaks of 46,337 threatened species out of a total of 166,061 recorded species - this corresponds to around a quarter of all species assessed by the IUCN!6,7
However, it is not only the loss of numerous species that weighs heavily. There are two other aspects of biodiversity that we must not neglect: The diversity of ecosystems and genetic diversity. The latter, in particular, is strongly affected by the death of individual organisms. The fewer specimens of a species there are, the less genetic diversity is produced in the next generation, making it less resilient and more susceptible to diseases.
With over 200 species, the sundew genus is the second largest genus of carnivorous plants. The long-leaved sundew is quite common in North America - in Germany it is highly endangered and is a protected species.
The reasons for this catastrophic situation are diverse, but the main causes are increasing environmental pollution, climate change, and the resulting loss of habitats.8 In short: we humans are to blame. But there are also many ways to counteract this.
Firstly, of course, at a political level. Global goals must be set and measures for the protection of the environment and biodiversity must be adopted and adhered to. However, this requires much stronger networking and better cooperation than is currently the case. A good approach, for example, is to establish marine protected areas and protect existing forests. In this way, (human) influences from outside can be reduced to an absolute minimum. The first successes have already been recorded: Studies assume that the marine habitat could be brought back into balance by 2050 with the help of protected areas if appropriate measures are supported and implemented.8,9
However, we can also actively do something to protect species, starting with our political decisions, the choice of our electricity provider, our heat supply and mobility through to everyday consumer decisions and our diet.
Blind spot: Scientists estimate that there are 8.7 million species worldwide - but only 1.2 million have been scientifically described (approx. 17%!)11. Many could become extinct before we even discover them.
Dramatic species decline: around a third of all species are endangered12, one species becomes extinct every few minutes13 and the trend is rising. In addition, the frequency of living creatures is also decreasing. If we look at vertebrates alone, the number has more than halved compared to 197014.
(Super)livelihoods: The World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) estimates that 5 to 8 percent of global crop yields are directly attributable to pollination by animals. All melon, cocoa and kiwi flowers are pollinated by animals and around half of apple, pear and cherry production depends on animal pollination.13
Domino effect: The extinction of a single rainforest plant species is often associated with the extinction of 10 to 30 animal and plant species, as most organisms in the rainforest are interdependent.15
Financial dependence: More than half of the global gross domestic product each year - USD 44 trillion - is estimated to be moderately or heavily dependent on nature and its services.16
Co-benefits of species protection: All species protection measures simultaneously contribute to climate stabilization, whereas not every "climate protection project" also protects species or can even be harmful to biodiversity.17
Hard facts on species extinction:
Raising awareness of species conservation can sometimes seem difficult, as we do not experience the changes directly on our own bodies. While we experience climate change in particular due to rising temperatures and natural disasters, the dwindling services and missing products of ecosystems are not quite as noticeable at first. It is only gradually becoming clearer that an extremely valuable network of benefits is disappearing along with the animals and plants.10
In addition to stabilizing the climate, species conservation is one of the most important tasks for keeping this planet viable in the long term. Clean water, clean air, fertile soil - all unthinkable without the diversity of species and ecosystems. In the long term, humans would be just another species that could end up on the Red List along with many others.
1Hübner, S. (2024, November 4). Biodiversity: The forgotten value of biodiversity. Tagesschau.de. https://www.tagesschau.de/wissen/klima/biodiversitaet-wert-100.html
2Großheim, B. (2024, October 21). Biodiversity: Why everyone benefits from biological diversity. Tagesschau.de. https://www.tagesschau.de/wissen/klima/biodiversitaet-artenvielfalt-konferenz-kolumbien-100.html
3Langer, F. (2025, January 6). "Ignoring species extinction is perhaps humanity's biggest mistake". Geo.de. https://www.geo.de/wissen/-das-artensterben-zu-ignorieren-ist-der-vielleicht-groesste-fehler-der-menschheit--30820988.html
4FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). (2018). The state of the world's biodiversity for food and agriculture. https://www.fao.org/3/CA3129EN/CA3129EN.pdf
5UNEP (2023, November 23). Coral reefs. UNEP - UN Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/topics/ocean-seas-and-coasts/blue-ecosystems/coral-reefs
6IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (n.d.). IUCN. https://iucn.org/resources/conservation-tool/iucn-red-list-threatened-species
7The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (n.d.). IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/
8WWF (2022). Species extinction. https://www.wwf.de/themen-projekte/artensterben
9Steffens, D. (2022, December 8). World Nature Summit discusses species conservation: Could all animals disappear? Geo.de. https://www.geo.de/natur/tierwelt/weltnaturgipfel-diskutiert-ueber-artenschutz--koennten-alle-tiere-verschwinden--32985782.html
10Carstens, P. (2024, October 29). Psychology: Why it's so hard to raise awareness of the biodiversity crisis. Geo.de. https://www.geo.de/natur/oekologie/psychologie--warum-es-so-schwer-ist--aufmerksamkeit-fuer-die-biodiversitaetskrise-zu-erzeugen-35183862.html
11Mora, C., Tittensor, D. P., Adl, S., Simpson, A. G. B., & Worm, B. (2011). How many species are there on earth and in the ocean? PLoS Biology, 9(8), e1001127. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001127
12The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (n.d.). IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/
13Bernards, M. (2022, December 7). Adaptation or extinction: What climate change and land use mean for biodiversity. Aktuelles Aus Der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt; Goethe University. https://aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de/en/news-in-brief/adaptation-or-extinction-what-climate-change-and-land-use-mean-for-biodiversity/
14WWF & ZSL (Zoological Society of London) Institute of Zoology. (2022). Living Planet Report 2022 - Building a nature-positive society (R. E. A. Almond, M. Grooten, D. Juffe Bignoli & T. Petersen, eds.) [Report]. WWF. https://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/WWF/WWF-lpr-living-planet-report-2022-full-version-english.pdf
15Siebert, S. (2011). Info sheet on species extinction and conservation. In Haack World Atlas Online. Klett. Retrieved from https://www2.klett.de/sixcms/list.php?page=infothek_artikel&extra=Haack%20Weltatlas-Online&artikel_id=108115&inhalt=klett71prod_1.c.139753.de
16Forest Declaration Assessment Partners. (2024). Forests under fire: Tracking progress on 2030 forest goals. Climate Focus (Ed.). Retrieved from https://www.forestdeclaration.org
17Fischer, F. (2024, February 28). Species conservation and climate change: synergies and challenges [Conference presentation]. Annual conference of the BNV e.V., Berlin, Germany. https://www.bnw-bundesverband.de/jahrestagung-2024
Text: Sarah Sassenhagen, Ulrike Pröschild, Marie Schreiber
