Fighting global mass extinction: our role in species conservation

Why is this such a critical issue for us? Why should we act when millions of animal and plant species still exist worldwide?

The answer is simple: species extinction severely damages the ecosystems where these species live, impacts neighboring regions, and threatens human well-being in the long term. The perfectly balanced species communities found in intact ecosystems depend on delicate, interconnected relationships. Species support one another in ways we rarely notice—yet when a single species is lost, this complex balance is completely disrupted.

A good example of this is the salmon, which plays a central role in the ancient rainforests of western Canada. Salmon are the cornerstone of an intricate cycle involving countless species in this sensitive ecosystem. One-fifth of the world’s wild salmon stocks originate in the rivers of Canada’s West Coast rainforests before migrating out to sea.

Throughout their journey, the wilderness shelters and sustains them: tree roots hold riverbanks intact, forest canopies shade the water to keep it cool, and fallen trees, leaves, and needles provide essential nutrients. In the ocean, salmon become a vital food source for marine life, including orcas. After two years at sea, millions of salmon return to their birth streams. On this arduous journey upstream, they feed numerous land animals, including grizzly bears, coastal wolves, and birds of prey. Birds often carry fish into the forest, leaving behind remains that slowly decompose. Microorganisms break these remains down, enriching the soil with essential nutrients like nitrogen, which directly nourish the towering trees.

When even a single salmon run is lost—whether due to logging, river silting, rising water temperatures, or overfishing—the entire ecosystem suffers. Without salmon, predators lose a primary food source, which in turn starves the forest plants of vital nutrients.

Ecosystems that normally filter our water, clean our air, provide food, and buffer coastlines against floods and tsunamis eventually reach a tipping point. Once compromised, they can no longer provide these natural services free of charge. They lose their resilience and become far more vulnerable to external pressures.^2,3

A prime example is the global decline of bee populations. According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), roughly 35 percent of global crop production depends directly on animal pollinators like bees. Losing these pollinators could reduce agricultural yields by up to 30 percent, resulting in billions of dollars in economic losses.⁴

Similarly, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that the destruction of coral reefs could cost the global economy up to $2.7 billion annually in the coming decades due to impacts on fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection.⁵

The figures speak for themselves: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists 46,337 threatened species out of 166,061 assessed—roughly one-quarter of all evaluated species!^6,7

However, biodiversity isn't just about counting individual species; it also includes ecosystem diversity and genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is severely impacted when individual populations decline. The fewer individuals that survive within a species, the less genetic variation passes to the next generation—making the entire population less resilient and far more susceptible to disease.

Connecting people to the biodiversity crisis can be challenging because we don't always feel its effects directly. While climate change is felt through rising temperatures and extreme weather, declining ecosystem services are less immediately obvious. Only gradually do we realize that as plants and animals disappear, the vital safety net supporting human life unravels alongside them.¹⁰

Along with climate stabilization, species conservation is one of the most urgent tasks needed to keep our planet habitable. Clean water, breathable air, and fertile soil are impossible without vibrant, diverse ecosystems. In the long run, without these natural systems, humanity is simply another species at risk of ending up on the Red List.