More dire news for our planet: according to a UN intergovernmental panel, biodiversity around the globe is not only taking a hit in wildlands such as the rainforest, but in our own backyards as well.
Malaysian scientist and chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Zakri Abdul Hamid addressed 450 colleagues Trondheim, Norway and explained that even farm animals and crops are experiencing a loss in biodiversity.
"The loss of biodiversity is happening faster and everywhere, even among farm animals," Zakri said. "The good news is the rate of decline is dropping but the latest data classify 22 percent of domesticated breeds at risk of extinction."
According to Zakri, over 30,000 plants are edible, yet only 30 of them - including popular staples like rice, wheat, and corn, - are responsible for 95 percent of human consumption. In the last century alone, there has been a 75 percent drop in genetic diversity among farmed crops.
Livestock has been getting the short end of the stick too. As newer, more efficient breeds with abilities to produce more meat or milk become the main focus of a farmer, older breeds are often left out. Some breeds are threatened with extinction simply because the farmer fails to recognize them as rare and endangered - a status granted when the breed's population falls under 1,000.
"The decline in the diversity of crops and animals is occurring in tandem with the need to sharply increase world food production and as a changing environment makes it more important than ever to have a large genetic pool to enable organisms to withstand and adapt to new conditions," Zakri said.
Zakri also warned that continuing deforestation, burning, and overfarming, coupled with climate change, could have a devastating effecting on bio-rich ecosystems like the Amazon.
You can read the full IPBES press release here.
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