THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY

1. Changes to how we use the land and waters. Both our lands and our
seas contain many different ecosystems, and these are affected
by business actions. For example: when developers drain and fill in marshes or
wetlands in order to build housing, they take away the land that captures excess water
during storms. The consequences can be drastic. When Superstorm Sandy hit New
York and New Jersey in 2012, coastal marshland reduced damages by 27% (USD
$430 million) in New Jersey, which had kept quite a bit of its marshes. In New
York, where almost all the marshes had been drained and developed, marshland
protection reduced damages by only 0.4% ($140 million).
2. Overexploitation and unsustainable use. Activities such as logging, farming, and
fishing can be done sustainably, but they are often done in ways
that overexploit a resource. When too many species, or even just a few important
species, are taken out of the ecosystem, the whole network of life in that area can
collapse. (Think of a rock wall with too many rocks taken out, or a spider web with
too many strands cut.) Overall, people have been taking far more from nature than it
can afford. For example, 70% of fish stocks in the ocean are currently being
overfished. A 2016 study suggested that the oceans could be empty of fish by 2050.
3. Climate change. We’re already seeing hotter temperatures, warmer oceans, and more
severe weather events. Many species can’t adjust to these conditions, and their
numbers crash. The species endangered include many pollinating insects, which
contribute $235-$577 billion in ecosystem-services value to the global economy every
year.
4. Increased pollution. Pollution of air, soil, and water poses a serious problem to many
ecosystems. Tiny bits of plastic suspended in ocean water build up inside fish, birds,
and other marine species.  Industrial toxins kill many species in rivers and lakes. Air
pollution makes its way into soil, leaves, and water. It all adds up to fewer species,
less diversity, and weakened ecosystems.
5. Invasive species. Global trade brings species from their home ecosystems to other
parts of the world, where there are often no predators to eat them and keep their
numbers in check. The warming climate allows dangerous species such as disease-
carrying mosquitos to thrive in new latitudes. Alien species often throw their new
habitats severely out of balance. For instance, the brown rat, which originated in
central Asia and has invaded almost every part of the world, has driven  hundreds
of species extinct and causes an estimated $19 billion in damage each year in the
United States alone.

FAILED PROJECT CASE STUDY: THE THREE GORGES DAM

The Three Gorges Dam is an example of a failed biodiversity conservation project. The
world's largest hydropower project is located on the Yangtze River in China. The dam was
completed in 2006, requiring the relocation of over a million people and the flooding of over
1,200 square kilometres of land.The Three Gorges Dam's construction has had a significant
impact on the region's biodiversity. The dam has disrupted the natural flow of the Yangtze
River, which has led to the decline of many fish species that depend on the river for their
survival. Furthermore, flooding has destroyed many ecosystems and displaced numerous
animal species, including endangered Chinese Dolphin.Despite efforts to mitigate the
ecological impacts of the dam, the damage has already been done, and the long-term impacts
on the region's biodiversity are still being felt. The Three Gorges Dam serves as a warning
about the importance of considering the environmental impacts of development projects and
the need for more sustainable development practices.

SUCCESSFUL PROJECT CASE STUDY: THE SNOW LEOPARD TRUST

The Snow Leopard Trust is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of the
critically endangered snow leopard and its habitat in Central Asia. Since its inception in 1981,
the organisation has worked to conserve the snow leopard through a combination of research,
community-based conservation, and education programmes.The Snow Leopard Enterprises
programme, which works with local communities to develop and market handicrafts made
from locally sourced wool, is one of the Snow Leopard Trust's most successful conservation
programmes. The programme provides income to these communities while also promoting
snow leopard conservation by incentivizing them to protect the animal and its habitat.
The Snow Leopard Trust, in addition to the Snow Leopard Enterprises programme, has
conducted extensive research on the species, worked to establish snow leopard protected
areas, and implemented education programmes to raise awareness about the importance of
conservation.As a result of these efforts, the snow leopard population has increased in some
areas of Central Asia, and the species is no longer considered to be declining in others. The
Snow Leopard Trust's conservation programmes have been recognised as some of the world's
most successful, and the organisation is still working to protect this endangered species.