To turn the tide, a targeted approach to all causes of biodiversity loss is now required. The main cause is habitat loss due to deforestation and the expansion of intensive agriculture, while ocean overfishing is the main problem.
Hunting (for endangered species) also plays a role on Earth, as does the use of toxins and the spread of “invasive alien species”—plants and animals from faraway regions that disrupt local balances.
Climate change is also a cause of biodiversity loss, but it is not yet the biggest cause. That could change if warming increases by several degrees and countless species (and entire ecosystems) are forced to move toward the poles – with all the consequences that follow.
So if there is a “Montreal Agreement on Biological Diversity,” it will also ultimately depend on the success of the Paris Climate Agreement.
