--- title: Environment: Biodiversity Loss Could Soon Harm Humans description: Human efforts to slow biodiversity loss are falling short across the globe, creating the potential for harm to future human development canonical: https://time.com/4404981/biodiversity-study-human-welfare/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-14T18:00:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T23:14:03.879Z article:section: Science og:title: Why You Should Fear an "Ecological Recession" og:description: Human efforts to slow biodiversity loss are falling short across the globe, creating the potential for harm to future human development og:url: https://time.com/4404981/biodiversity-study-human-welfare/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb828cdb180197a87/69889be3cd1bba462d70177a/biodiversity-loss-deforestation-climate-change.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3072 og:image:height: 1728 og:image:alt: Amazon Deforestation climate change biodiversity og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why You Should Fear an "Ecological Recession" twitter:description: Human efforts to slow biodiversity loss are falling short across the globe, creating the potential for harm to future human development twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb828cdb180197a87/69889be3cd1bba462d70177a/biodiversity-loss-deforestation-climate-change.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why You Should Fear an "Ecological Recession" > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e121581d-c8e5-45a3-8828-1f3f1790e5b0&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 14, 2016 6:00 PM UTC  Area in Amazon Forest deforested for cattle and remaining forest Area in Amazon Forest deforested for cattle and remaining forest Leo F Freitas —Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 14, 2016 6:00 PM UTC Human efforts to slow [biodiversity loss](http://time.com/3929419/scientists-sixth-extinction/) are falling short across the globe, which could in turn harm [future human development](http://time.com/4352583/saran-kaba-jones-next-generation-leaders/) and wellbeing, according to new [research](http://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aaf2201). Researchers behind study, published in the journal _Science_, found that human-caused pressures like [land use change](http://time.com/3927023/trans-fat-ban-deforestation/)—the destruction of natural habitats often for timber, agriculture or residential developments—have cause biodiversity to fall to unsustainable levels more than half of the world’s surface. On average, human activity has driven away 15% of species that would have been present otherwise in locations across the globe, according to the study. “Decision-makers worry a lot about economic recessions,” said author Andy Purvis, a professor at the Natural History Museum in London in a press release. “But an ecological recession could have even worse consequences—and the biodiversity damage we’ve had means we’re at risk of that happening.” **Read More:** [Why Restoring Nature Could Be the Key to Fighting Climate Change](http://time.com/4070683/nature-climate-change/) Determining exactly what level of biodiversity loss can be sustained without damaging human wellbeing is a difficult challenge. [Previous research](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/1259855.full) has suggested that a decline of more than 10% in the number of species in a certain area could be a dangerous threshold, but even that study notes that the figure is far from certain. Healthy biodiversity plays a crucial role in a number of functions that support human life, including pollination and pest control, both of which support agriculture. Other vulnerable species—like some types of trees and plants—suck up carbon dioxide that would otherwise contribute to climate change. “It is a tricky problem to say how much biodiversity loss is too much,” says Tom Oliver, an associate professor in landscape ecology, in an [opinion piece](http://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aag1712) accompanying the study. “However, we can be certain that inaction commits us to a future with substantial costs to human well-being.” **Read More:** [How Drought and Extreme Heat Are Killing the World’s Crops](http://time.com/4170029/crop-production-extreme-heat-climate-change/) Researchers looked at nearly 2.2 million records on 39,000 species around the globe, making the study the most detailed work evaluating how land change affects biodiversity. Locations inhabited by humans tend to be the most vulnerable to declines in biodiversity, according to the study. A number of initiatives are underway to address biodiversity loss, including the 1993 [Convention on Biological Diversity](https://www.cbd.int), an international treaty that establishes a framework for dealing with the issue. 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