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Biodiversity is about the genetic diversity within species, the diversity of habitats, and the large biological units known as biomes

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As ecosystems and habitats degrade and disappear worldwide, biodiversity - the interconnectedness of all forms of life on our planet - is in jeopardy. In light of a new global agreement to protect our lands, ocean, and waters, explore what biodiversity really means and what it will take to preserve life on Earth.

From microscopic fungi to mega forests, "biodiversity" is the collective term for the variety of life on Earth in all its forms. It is 4.5 billion years of evolution, embodied.

Biodiversity is responsible for our food, our soil, our water, our weather, even the air we breathe. Yet despite being a crucial foundation for our collective future, biodiversity is often lost amid conversations on climate change - until recently.

In December 2022, leaders from nearly 200 nations adopted a landmark UN agreement to reverse nature's rapid decline before it's too late. Known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, it calls for protecting 30% of the planet's land, ocean, and inland waters and includes 23 other targets to help restore and protect ecosystems and endangered species worldwide.
Here are 12 things you should know:
1. Biodiversity is more than just the total number of species on Earth.

"It is actually more complex than that," Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, the late ecologist, told the United Nations Foundation in 2018. "It's about the genetic diversity within species, the diversity of habitats, and the large biological units known as biomes."

This includes the interactions that occur between species within ecosystems - primordial relationships that shape our environment in countless, often unseen ways.

"Without biological diversity, there is no other life on Earth - including our own," he explained. "Even though we are often oblivious to it, this diversity of life is what provides clean water, oxygen, and all other things that end up being part of our diet, as well as clothing and shelter. It provides a lot of psychological benefits too, which are not much appreciated."

2. We're only just beginning to understand biodiversity's influence and importance in our lives.

Earth's many ecosystems rely on a delicate, complicated, and fascinating tangle of life that, in many ways, remains a mystery. In fact, the term "biological diversity" wasn't introduced to the scientific community until 1980 in a research paper on species loss by Dr. Lovejoy. Scientists still haven't identified all forms of life on the planet. New species are discovered every year.

Take kelp, for example. These undersea forests provide sustenance and shelter for marine species like chinook salmon, which, in turn, serve as a staple food for orcas. And kelp also absorb excess carbon dioxide, which can help mitigate climate change.

3. The planet's biodiversity holds enormous, untapped potential for medical and scientific breakthroughs.

Lovejoy described each species on the planet as a unique set of solutions for a particular set of biological problems. "Whoever would have thought a bacterium from a Yellowstone hot spring would revolutionize forensic and diagnostic medicine, make the human genome project possible, and confer benefits in the trillion-dollar range?" he wrote as a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation, citing a previously unknown and seemingly inconsequential microbe discovered in 1966 that revolutionized genetic testing and immunization development, including the COVID-19 vaccine.

Today, one-fourth of all modern medicines are derived from tropical plants, and 70% of all cancer drugs are natural or bio-inspired products. In the past decade, researchers in Nova Scotia found a soil fungus that can disarm antibiotic-resistant bacteria - a discovery that could transform the fields of medicine and agriculture. The possibilities for discovery and innovation are monumental.

4. Climate change and biodiversity are interconnected.

Climate change is causing biodiversity loss, and biodiversity loss is causing climate change. Here's how: Destroying and degrading ecosystems releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than burning fossil fuels.

Meanwhile, the consequences of burning fossil fuels - rising global temperatures, an increase in wildfires, and ocean acidification, to name a few - are threatening habitats and wildlife alike. In late 2019 and early 2020, for example, more than 60,000 koalas were killed by wildfires in Australia so massive that nearly 3 billion animals died or were displaced as a result. Earlier this year, the Australian government officially listed koalas as an endangered species.

At COP 27 last year, world leaders reached a historic agreement to create a "loss and damage" fund to support communities that are already feeling climate change's disastrous impact, including biodiversity loss and its impact on livelihoods.

5. Biodiversity can help us adapt to climate change.

The UN considers biodiversity our strongest natural defense against climate change. Land and ocean ecosystems currently absorb 60% of human-caused emissions, and they are the planet's only way of storing massive amounts of carbon dioxide. Coastal wetlands, for example, protect against storm surges and flooding during extreme weather while also storing carbon dioxide and creating oxygen.

According to a joint estimate by the UN Development Programme and the Government of Papua New Guinea, every dollar invested in environmental protection generates more than $2,500 in so-called ecosystem services - water regulation, coastal protection, carbon storage, and other invisible functions that nature provides. It's one of the reasons that Papua New Guinea launched the first-ever national, independent Biodiversity and Climate Fund to protect its status as one of just 17 "megadiverse" countries.

6. Less biodiversity means a higher risk of disease.

For decades, the scientific community has warned that biodiversity loss increases the spread of infectious disease. Why? Because extinction upsets the ecosystem in unpredictable ways, and the destruction of natural habitats increases interaction between humans and wildlife. Biodiversity essentially acts as a barrier between humans and animal-borne disease.

Species that tend to survive logging, farming, mining, wildlife trade and consumption, and other human activities behind widespread biodiversity loss are often "vectors of disease" like mice and mosquitoes, which host pathogens that are able to make the jump to humans. It's one of the reasons why cases of Lyme disease in the northeast United States have spiked in recent decades: With fewer mammals to prey on, ticks are increasingly seeking out people. In fact, roughly 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic.

It's also why researchers like Dr. Alessandra Nava and her team of virus hunters at Brazil's Fiocruz Amazônia are tracking the spread of disease in bats, monkeys, and rodents in the world's largest rainforest. Their goal is to stay a step ahead of future pandemics by better understanding the pathogens contained within the jungle's creatures before they come in contact with humans - encounters that become more likely as the human footprint expands.

7. Biodiversity on land depends on biodiversity in water.

Maintaining the ocean's ecological balance is crucial for protecting biodiversity on land, as well as maintaining our ability to feed future generations. The ocean plays a vital role in regulating the planet's weather and water and the air we breathe. It is also the planet's largest source of protein, feeding more than 3 billion people every day who rely on fish as a staple food.

Yet the ocean remains a vastly unexplored ecological frontier. While scientists have identified 200,000 marine species, the actual number is estimated to be in the millions. Unsustainable fishing practices, pollution, climate change, and habitat destruction are threatening creatures that may vanish before we even knew they existed.

8. Our planet's biodiversity is on the brink.

Some 1 million species are threatened with extinction right now. That's more than any other time in history, and they're disappearing at a rate that is 1,000 times the norm. The culprit is the way most humans consume, produce, travel, and live.

A 2019 UN report found that we have altered 75% of the planet's terrestrial environment, 40% of its marine environment, and 50% of streams and rivers. Nearly three-fourths of our freshwater resources are devoted to crop or livestock production, which often means using pesticides, fertilizers, fuels, and antibiotics that pollute our rivers, streams, seas, and soil. Every day we are destroying habitats and degrading massive amounts of soil and water through industrial manufacturing and agriculture while jeopardizing precious natural resources that could be lost forever in our lifetime; in the past two decades, we've lost half of the planet's coral reefs. Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest hit a record high last year; some 18% is gone already, with scientists warning that we're approaching a tipping point toward potential collapse.

9. Sustainability is the only way forward.

Such irresponsible production and consumption of our natural resources come at a catastrophic cost. We are destroying our planet at an unprecedented rate and losing a vast number of plants, animals, insects, and marine life in the process - to the detriment of our own future. Humanity's health and well-being are dependent on a biodiverse planet.

Fortunately, examples are emerging of a greener, more sustainable way of doing business. Circular economic models are becoming more common as companies realize the economic and environmental value of reducing, reusing, and recycling their supply chain. At the same time, more citizens are demanding sustainable sourcing and socially just labor practices from their consumer goods. In 2022, the founder of the outdoor retailer Patagonia announced plans to invest all of the company's profits toward combating climate change. "If we have any hope of a thriving planet - much less a business - 50 years from now, it is going to take all of us doing what we can with the resources we have," Yvon Chouinard wrote.

10. Indigenous communities are crucial.

For thousands of years, Indigenous communities have served as the planet's most effective environmental stewards. Today, according to the UN, Indigenous people manage more than 20% of the planet's land and 80% of its biodiversity. "For us, it is not a passion, or a job," Hindou Ibrahim of the Mbororo tribe in Chad, an SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) Advocate and Indigenous rights activist, told the UN last year. "It is our way of living. And that's what we have done for all generations."

In 2015, the UN created the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform to ensure their formal participation in global negotiations on climate change.

11. Conservation is critical.

One of our most promising solutions is preservation. Restoring degraded ecosystems alone could provide up to one-third of the climate mitigation needed to keep the Earth from warming too far above pre-industrial levels. This means creating protected areas, curbing extractive capitalism, and restoring the planet's enormous amount of degraded land.

People across the globe are leading efforts to do just that. One inspiring example is Rita Mesquita, who expanded the amount of protected rainforest in Brazil by 76% during her time in the country's Ministry of the Environment. Today, she oversees programs that encourage residents and visitors alike in Manaus to interact with the surrounding Amazon rainforest.

12. We need cooperation - and revolution - at all levels.

We need partnerships among countries, communities, consumers, and corporations. And we're seeing signs of progress every day. In fact, at COP 27, the Governments of Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Indonesia announced an alliance to protect their respective rainforests. Their historic agreement could pave the way for more multilateral action and impact. Coming just a month later, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework represents an enormous and long-awaited step toward halting extinction rates that some scientists are calling an existential crisis akin to climate change.

A huge part of the solution to the biodiversity challenge will be transforming how we approach the natural world and our place within it. As Dr. Lovejoy told the UN Foundation in 2018, "There needs to be a major shift in perception from thinking of nature as something with a fence around it in the middle of an expansive, human-dominated landscape ... to thinking about embedding our aspirations in nature."

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Biodiversity Explained: Facts, Myths, and the Race to Protect It

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Biodiversity threats are causing ecosystems and habitats to disappear. Learn more about the global efforts to protect biodiversity - and why it matters.

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Earth’s biodiversity is in jeopardy due to human consumption and other activities that disturb and even destroy ecosystems

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Biodiversity | National Geographic Society

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Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. While Earth’s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered, many species are being threatened with extinction due to human activities, putting the Earth’s magnificent…

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Biodiversity is able to withstand pressure, and bounce back from harsh conditions that may be detrimental to a species.

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The health of the environment can be determined by their biodiversity.

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Biodiversity is the variety of life.

It can be studied on many levels. At the highest level, one can look at all the different species on the entire Earth. On a much smaller scale, one can study biodiversity within a pond ecosystem or a neighborhood park. Identifying and understanding the relationships between all the life on Earth are some of the greatest challenges in science.

Most people recognize biodiversity by species-a group of individual living organisms that can interbreed. Examples of species include blue whales, white-tailed deer, white pine trees, sunflowers, and microscopic bacteria that can't even be seen by the naked eye. Biodiversity includes the full range of species that live in an area.

Biodiversity at a Glance

Pretend you're taking a look at the species biodiversity within a local pond. At first glance, we can identify different plants, including cattails and water lilies. If we wait a while, we might be able to spot a garter snake, a bullfrog, or maybe a red-winged blackbird. With a closer look, we can see invertebrates and worms under leaves, on grasses and in the pond water.

Think you're done? You have not even scratched the surface of the biodiversity within the pond. Using a microscope, we would be able to see hundreds or even thousands of different bacteria that inhabit the pond water. They're all part of the species biodiversity of this small ecosystem.

More than Just Species

Species diversity is only one part of biodiversity. To properly catalogue all the life on Earth, we also have to recognize the genetic diversity that exists within species, as well as the diversity of entire habitats and ecosystems.

Genetic biodiversity is the variation in genes that exists within a species. A helpful way to understand genetic diversity is to think about dogs. All dogs are part of the same species, but their genes can dictate whether they are Chihuahua or a Great Dane. There can be a lot of variation in genes-just think about all the colors, sizes, and shapes that make up the genetic diversity of dogs.

Ecological biodiversity is the diversity of ecosystems, natural communities, and habitats. In essence, it's the variety of ways that species interact with each other and their environment. The forests of Maine differ from the forests of Colorado by the types of species found in both ecosystems, as well as the temperature and rainfall. These two seemingly similar ecosystems have a lot of differences that make them both special.

Five Facts on Biodiversity

1. Researchers have estimated that there are between 3 and 30 million species on Earth, with a few studies predicting that there may be more than 100 million species on Earth.

2. Currently we have identified only 1.7 million species, so we have a long way to go before we can come close to figuring out exactly how many species are on Earth.

3. There is more biodiversity within tropical ecosystems than temperate or boreal ecosystems. In fact, tropical rain forests have the most diversity.

4. The most diverse group of animals are invertebrates. Invertebrates are animals without backbones, including insects, crustaceans, sponges, scorpions, and many other kinds of organisms.

5. Over half of all the animals already identified are invertebrates. Of these, beetles are some of the most numerous species.

Biodiversity's Importance

Biodiversity is extremely important to people and the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity allows us to live healthy and happy lives. It provides us with an array of foods and materials, and it contributes to the economy. Without a diversity of pollinators, plants, and soils, our supermarkets would have a lot less produce.

Most medical discoveries to cure diseases and lengthen life spans were made because of research into plant and animal biology and genetics. Every time a species goes extinct or genetic diversity is lost, we will never know whether research would have given us a new vaccine or drug.

Biodiversity is also an important part of ecological services that make life livable on Earth. They include everything from cleaning water and absorbing chemicals, which wetlands do, to providing oxygen for us to breathe-one of the many things that plants do for people.

Biodiversity allows for ecosystems to adjust to disturbances like fires and floods. Genetic diversity even prevents diseases and helps species adjust to changes in their environment.

Threats to Biodiversity

Extinction is a natural part of life on Earth. Over the history of the planet, most of the species that ever existed evolved and then gradually went extinct. Species go extinct because of natural shifts in the environment that take place over long periods of time, such as ice ages.

Today species are going extinct at an accelerated and dangerous rate because of non-natural environmental changes caused by human activities. Some of the activities have direct effects on species and ecosystems, such as habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation (such as overfishing), and the spread of non-native species and diseases. Some human activities have indirect but wide-reaching effects on biodiversity as well, including climate change and pollution.

All of these threats have put a serious strain on the diversity of species on Earth. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), globally about one third of all known species are threatened with extinction. That includes 29 percent of all amphibians, 21 percent of all mammals, and 12 percent of all birds. If we do not stop the threats to biodiversity, we could be facing another mass extinction with dire consequences to the environment, and human health and livelihood.

Sources
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Comparing and Graphing Nine Environmental Threats, Researchers Find Unexpected Evils, Popular Science
Encyclopedia of Earth: Biodiversity
World of Biology. McGrath, Kimberley A., ed. The Gale Group, Farmington Hills, MI: 1999.
Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States. Stein, Bruce A., Lynn S. Kutner and Jonathan S. Adams. Oxford University Press, New York: 2000
US Forest Service: Ecoregions of the United States

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Biodiversity | National Wildlife Federation

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Biodiversity is the variety of life. It can be studied on many levels. At the highest level, one can look at all the different species on the entire Earth. On a much smaller scale, one can study biodiversity within a pond ecosystem or a neighborhood park.

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The global food crisis may be due to lack of biodiversity.

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Biodiversity is a cornerstone of development, and its loss threatens many hard-won development gains. Biodiversity blunts the impact of other crises, like climate change and conflict, on development; it is also the wealth of poor nations and poor communities within nations as a producer of jobs and GDP. For example, in the fisheries sector, 60 million jobs globally are tied directly to fishing and fish farming. For every one of those jobs, 2.5 more are created in the fisheries value chain. That is 200 million jobs, 60 percent of which are in the developing world. The same can be said for industries such as forestry and nature-based tourism.

The value of biodiversity goes beyond the variety of living organisms, and also includes the services provided by healthy ecosystems - such as wild pollination, provision of food from marine fisheries, and timber from native forests. To capture this broader concept, we refer to nature, rather than biodiversity alone.

And around the world, nature is vanishing at an unprecedented rate and scale. The poorest economies stand to lose the most in relative terms from nature loss, which puts at risk their prospects to grow out of poverty. World Bank modelling shows that in a scenario where just a few ecosystem services -- collapse, low-income countries could forego 10 percent in real GDP annually by 2030, compared with global losses of 2.3 percent. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia could see annual drops of 9.7 and 6.5 percent, relative to a no tipping point scenario.

The most vulnerable communities may be most at risk too - 80 percent of the global population live below the poverty line lives in rural areas and tend to depend heavily on nature's services. Without income from natural resources, poverty among smallholders in Latin America, South Asia, East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa would be higher. Healthy ecosystems prevent the descent of poor households into deeper poverty by providing food, water, and raw materials, and thus act as a barrier against natural and man-made disasters and as a safety net during economic crises. The unfolding global food crisis, which threatens to drive millions into extreme poverty, magnifying hunger and malnutrition, underlines nature's vital role in food security.

Nature and climate are intertwined. Oceans, soils, forests, peatlands, and other ecosystems are the world's largest carbon sinks, absorbing 60 percent of gross annual anthropogenic carbon emissions. A significant loss of these systems hinders our ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Conversely, climate change is one of the five direct drivers of nature loss, alongside land and sea use change, overexploitation, pollution, and invasive species. The impacts of climate change shift and shrink the critical habitats that species rely on, alter ecosystem functioning, and interact with other drivers of nature loss to weaken the resilience of ecosystems to natural shocks and man-made pressures.

Neither crisis can be addressed independently of the other. Net zero goals under the Paris Agreement are not feasible without natural sequestration, which is why all Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pathway models that limit global warming to 1.5°C include actions to conserve and restore nature. In turn, falling short on the global climate ambition will adversely impact ecosystems, even under a 1.5°C to 2°C warming scenario, compromising efforts to address biodiversity loss.

Nature loss is the result of market, policy, and institutional failures that are keeping economies on unsustainable development paths. For example, the volume of subsidies that are harmful to development is at least five to six times more the amount of funding devoted to protecting biodiversity. For this reason, conservation efforts alone are not sufficient to halt the global loss of nature.

Investing in nature creates opportunities for high-value and greener growth. Shifting markets and value chains toward models that conserve and restore natural capital, and use it sustainably, can create long-term growth and greener and higher quality jobs, if measures are put in place for an equitable and inclusive transition. Strategic investment in protected areas can create opportunities for income diversification which support local economies. Leveraging these opportunities and bringing nature into rural and urban development planning is essential for setting economies on a green, resilient, and inclusive development path.

Last Updated: Sep 18, 2023

To create a world free of poverty on a livable planet, the World Bank is mainstreaming nature considerations into economic policy, development programs, and strategic sectoral investments. Biodiversity is the fabric of life. Ecosystem services provided by nature are the foundation of human well-being, economic prosperity, and development. This is why the World Bank has been at the forefront of financing nature for decades, providing integrated financing solutions for the conservation and restoration of nature, supports institution-building, and develops tools and analytics that help provide evidence-based knowledge. Increasingly, attention is shifting to economic sectors and policies beyond the purview of environmental ministries - for example, urban development, agriculture, disaster risk management, and water management - to address the drivers of nature loss and promote sustainable sector practices.

The World Bank is committed to support countries adopt nature-smart development approaches that protect nature while ensuring it remains an engine for grow and jobs. As part of it, we stand ready to support the implementation of the supporting the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted in December 2022 at the 15 th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-15). Our holistic, cross sector work already contributes to GBF ambitions across numerous goals and targets.

Support in three strategic areas can unlock impact at scale: integrating nature into countries' development policies and strategic investments to attain a green, resilient, and inclusive development; scaling up finance in support of nature from all sources, including by 'greening' broader public and private finance; and better integrating investments in nature with those in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Bringing nature at the center of green, resilient, and inclusive development in countries means defining how economic and financial incentives and regulations can better integrate longer-term sustainability considerations across sectors. This includes opportunities to boost the economy and deliver positive environmental outcomes simultaneously through nature-based solutions. The modeling and analytical work on nature the World Bank has developed provides insights on economic impacts of different policy scenarios, helping governments in this endeavor.

Recognizing, measuring, and managing natural capital and ecosystem services at the country level is key to protecting biodiversity. Natural capital should be considered an asset class on its own - otherwise we risk rolling back development gains. The Changing Wealth of Nations 2021 report finds that renewable natural capital accounts for 23% of wealth in low-income countries and 10% in lower-middle-income countries.

More, better and more accessible finance is needed to halt nature loss and support high-impact projects. The Bank is the leading multilateral financier of biodiversity. It provides an array of financial tools to support biodiversity and ecosystems, from concessional IDA funds to blending and innovative tools that contribute to mobilize more "green finance". At the same time, it works to develop new standards and provide data and decision-support tools for governments and financial institutions to shed light on nature-related risks and opportunities is contributing to "greening" global finance.

Nature is also at the core of World Bank Multi-donor Trust Funds (MDTF), which strategically raise resources and concessional funds to blend, de-risk, and pilot new financing financial instruments, and provide analytical foundations for investment in nature:

The Global Program on Sustainability (GPS), which builds on the WB-led WAVES partnership, has been working with countries to incorporate the economic value of natural capital and the risks associated with its degradation in decision-making processes. We are also working to make sustainable finance part of the solution, engaging with the financial sector to support a better integration of risks and opportunities associated with natural capital into investment decisions and reporting.

Through PROBLUE, our program to promote the development of integrated and sustainable economic activities in healthy oceans, we are ramping up work to address marine plastics and other threats to ocean health, like overfishing and the destruction of natural habitats such as mangroves.

The World Bank also oversees PROGREEN, a program that addresses challenges to land-based natural assets threatened, for example, by land-use change, land degradation, desertification, and illegal logging.

The three trust fund programs focus on ocean and seascape issues, forest and landscape issues, and environmental and economic issues. All three support countries through knowledge, capacity building, grants and investments-and strive to respond to nature, economy, and livelihood needs of country clients. The MDTF's are accelerators that gain and add value by focusing on key issues of nature and finance, building on the Bank's country engagement model, blended finance approaches, efficient operating models, and ability to engage upstream at the policy level and downstream at the investment and implementation level.

Nature is also being integrated into climate action. The World Bank Group Climate Change Action Plan ( CCAP) recognizes that a combined approach that addresses both climate and nature risks is needed. To help tackle these crises in tandem, the CCAP is stepping up investments in nature-based solutions and integrated management of ecosystems, and supporting development of wealth accounting, economy-ecosystem-climate modelling, as well as other efforts to bridge the biodiversity financing gap. The Climate Change Development Reports ( CCDRs) further look into synergies between nature, climate, and development. For instance, Ghana's CCDR points to the benefits of blue ecosystems to protect against the impacts of sea level increases.

Finally, given the complex links between people and land, the World Bank has adopted a more integrated landscape approach that simultaneously works on improving the resilience of both ecosystems and livelihoods. Through the Environmental and Social Framework, the World Bank screens all its investment projects under the lens of the standard on "biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of living resources," applying a precautionary approach to project design.

Last Updated: Sep 18, 2023

The World Bank is the leading multilateral financier of biodiversity. The FY23 active Biodiversity portfolio was $3.7 billion. This is up 31% from $2.8 billion last fiscal year.

The World Bank Group has also recently developed a Nature Finance Tracking Methodology, as part of our IDA20 commitments, designed to capture contributions to nature and to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in a systematic manner. The approach aligns with the MDB Common Principles for Tracking Nature-Positive Finance and will help track nature-positive investments delivering measurable positive gains for nature, as well as those investments that integrate nature in various economic sectors and support a broader economic transition towards nature-positive practices.

In Indonesia, the World Bank is supporting critical investments by the government in green, resilient, and inclusive development. The Sustainable Landscapes Management Program is supporting the government's efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation and promote equitable growth through land tenure reform, social forestry, and emissions reductions payments. The World Bank's Sustainable Oceans Program is supporting the country's transition to a blue economy. Oceans underpin the country's prosperity - 70 percent of Indonesians live in coastal areas, over 50 percent of the country's protein supply is derived from fisheries, and Indonesia's ocean economy is worth over US$256 billion annually. Yet this natural capital is under threat from overfishing, marine plastic pollution, and coastal and urban development, which are resulting in degradation of critical ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves. These challenges are exacerbated high vulnerability to climate change, which also - undermines coastal livelihoods. Building on a broad portfolio of investments and technical assistance, the World Bank-supported Mangroves for Coastal Resilience project aims to rehabilitate 75,000 hectares of mangroves, while enhancing mangrove protection and strengthening coastal development opportunities.

In Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the World Bank is making multisectoral blue economy investments to strengthen resilience and create jobs, accelerating the post COVID-19 recovery. Growth and jobs in two critical sectors - tourism and fisheries - have been heavily constrained by COVID-19, which has complicated challenges related to high debt, climate change, and natural disasters. The project will identify previously untapped sustainable economic opportunities for small, semi- and industrial-scale fishing operators, and invest in coastal infrastructure and an emergency response mechanism benefiting 28,000 people. To boost employment and productivity, it will also improve access to finance for 75 micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, 60 percent of which are women-owned or managed, in the tourism, fisheries, and waste management value chains.

In India the World Bank invested $285 million in an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project to plant 200 square kilometers (an area more than 3x the size of Manhattan) of mangroves along India's coast. These revitalized forests sequester 1.5 metric tons of carbon per hectare per year. Now, during cyclones, the tidal wave forces are reduced by increased mangrove coverage. India has focused on nature-based solutions to protect against disaster and climate challenges while increasing biodiversity. This triple win means increased productivity for marine ecosystems and the protection of coastal communities for 11.9 million residents.

More than 70% of Mozambican households rely on natural resources. From the tourism attracted by its nature and wildlife reserves to the timber and fish that provide financial security as well as nourishment, it is in the community's interest that resources are renewable and sustainable, so it is critical to involve the community. The Mozambique Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) portfolio is fostering a healthy coexistence between humans and nature by working across issues and sectors to tackle deforestation and resource exploitation, together with challenges such as rural poverty, community rights and land management. One way the Mozambique ILM portfolio ensures it maintains its gains is to inspire conservation by funding environmental clubs for students. Eighty scholarships are awarded to girls between the ages of 13-17 for vocational and general education. It is a cornerstone for raising environmental awareness, promoting changes in action, and adjusting behavior.

Examples of our financial innovation include the Wildlife Conservation Bond launched in 2022 in support of South Africa's efforts to conserve the black rhino. The bond is an outcome-based financial instrument that channels investments to achieve conservation outcomes - measured in this case by an increase in black rhino populations. Through the bond, investors support the financing of activities to protect and grow a critically endangered species with clear conservation targets, contributing directly to biodiversity, and bringing jobs to local communities through the creation of conservation-related employment in a rural and underserved region of South Africa.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024

Multi-stakeholder partnerships are an important aspect of the World Bank's environmental engagement as they pool expertise, access, and resources. These partnerships comprise the public sector, private sector, multi-lateral organizations, and civil society to advance collective action on some of the world's most pressing biodiversity challenges.

The World Bank is the lead agency of flagship programs co-funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), helping convene partners, strengthen cooperation across countries and sectors, and amplify knowledge exchange. With $203 million GEF investment, the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program is helping protect biodiversity and ecosystems and improve integrated landscape management in priority areas of the Amazon, with projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname being co-implemented by diverse partners. The Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program (FOLUR) is a $345 million initiative that seeks to transform food and land use systems, with focus on commodities like cocoa, coffee, and wheat, across 27 participating countries. Finally, the Global Wildlife Program (GWP) is a $230 million grant program launched in 2015 with projects across 32 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America & the Caribbean. The program focuses on designing and implementing national strategies to help countries combat illegal wildlife trafficking, secure wildlife habitats, and promote wildlife-based economies.

The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) launched in 2010 brings together INTERPOL, the CITES Secretariat, World Customs Organization and UNODC with the World Bank in a coordinated global response to wildlife crime. ICCWC helps strengthen national law enforcement and criminal justice systems and international coordination in support of sustainable development. The Consortium has developed a Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit and Indicator Framework to assess and strengthen wildlife crime responses and prevention strategies. Within ICCWC, the World Bank provides technical assistance on anti-money laundering and prevention of illicit financial flows and has a strategic role by being able to elevate the environmental and wildlife crime agenda with key stakeholders at a national level.

The WBG has actively supported the establishment of the Taskforce on Nature-related Disclosures (TNFD), tasked with developing a framework to help the financial and private sector understand their risks and impacts on nature, ultimately helping promote more green finance.

Last Updated: Sep 18, 2023

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The historic loss of biodiversity severely affects the extreme poor, many of whom live in rural areas and rely on nature to make a living. At the World Bank, we design programs to help people, economies, and planet.

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Invasive species can lead to the extinction of native plants and animals.

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Provides the official definition for what are invasive species and related information.

Invasive species can be plants, animals, and other living organisms (e.g., microbes). To learn more, see our Species Profiles which provides general information about species considered to be invasive.

View related information: Resource Search - Invasive Species 101

What Defines an Invasive Species?

As per Executive Order 13112 (Section 1. Definitions) an "invasive species" is a species that is:

1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and,

2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Non-native species are plants and animals living in areas where they do not naturally exist. "Non-native species" and "invasive species" can not be used interchangeably. Many commonly grown fruits and vegetables are not native to the U.S. For example, tomatoes and hot peppers originated from South America, while lettuce was first grown by the Egyptians. Domestic cows are non-native to North America and were introduced as a food source, and considered to be a beneficial organism in an agricultural setting.

See also:

Invasive Species Definition Clarification and Guidance White Paper
This white paper provides a non-regulatory policy interpretation of the term "invasive species." Submitted by the Definitions Subcommittee of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) and approved by ISAC on April 27, 2006.

Invasive Species Terminology: Standardizing for Stakeholder Education
Iannone, B. V., Carnevale, S., Main, M. B., Hill, J. E., McConnell, J. B., Johnson, S. A., Enloe, S. F., Andreu, M., Bell, E. C., Cuda, J. P., & Baker, S. M. (2021). Invasive Species Terminology: Standardizing for Stakeholder Education.The Journal of Extension, 58(3), Article 27.
This paper from the Journal of Extension has practical applications for any firewood and forest pest-related communicators.

How do Invasive Species Spread?

Invasive species are spread primarily by human activities, often unintended. People, and goods transported, travel quickly around the world, and often carry uninvited species with them. Invasive species can be introduced to an area by ship ballast water, firewood, accidental release, and by people. Insects can be transported easily in wood, shipping palettes, and crates shipped across the globe. Ornamental plans can become invasive after escaping in the wild. Released unwanted pets are another way invasive species are spread. See our pathways information to learn more about how invasive species are introduced to new areas.

What are the Impacts of Invasive Species?

The introduction and establishment of invasive species to the U.S. (intentional or unintentional) can pose a significant threat to native and plant communities. Invasive species can lead to the extinction of native plants and animals, destroy biodiversity, and permanently alter habitats. See our impacts section to learn more about the various impacts of invasive species -- economic and social, environmental and ecological, and human health.

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Learn how invasive species are officially defined.

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Many invasive species thrive because they outcompete native species for food.

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An invasive species is an organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area. Invasive species can cause great economic and environmental harm to the new area.

Subjects

Biology, Ecology, Earth Science, Geography

An invasive species is an organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area. Invasive species can cause great economic and environmental harm to the new area.

Not all non-native species are invasive. For example, most of the food crops grown in the United States, including popular varieties of wheat, tomatoes, and rice, are not native to the region.

To be invasive, a species must adapt to the new area easily. It must reproduce quickly. It must harm property, the economy, or the native plants and animals of the region.

Many invasive species are introduced into a new region accidentally. Zebra mussels are native to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in Central Asia. Zebra mussels arrived in the Great Lakes of North America accidentally, stuck to large ships that traveled between the two regions. There are now so many zebra mussels in the Great Lakes that they have threatened native species.

Some species are brought to a new area on purpose. Often, these species are introduced as a form of pest control. Other times, introduced species are brought in as pets or decorative displays. People and businesses that import these species do not anticipate the consequences. Even scientists are not always sure how a species will adapt to a new environment.

Introduced species multiply too quickly and become invasive. For example, in 1949, five cats were brought to Marion Island, a part of South Africa in the southern Indian Ocean. The cats were introduced as pest control for mice. By 1977, about 3,400 cats were living on the island, endangering the local bird population.

Other invasive species descended from pets that escaped or were released into the wild. Many people have released pet Burmese pythons into the Everglades, a swampy area of south Florida. The huge snakes can grow to 6 meters (20 feet) long. Pythons, native to the jungles of southeast Asia, have few natural predators in the Everglades. They feast on many local species, including Introduced Species white ibis and limpkin, two types of wading birds.

Invasive Species and the Local Environment

Many invasive species thrive because they outcompete native species for food. Bighead and silver carp are two large species of fish that escaped from fish farms in the 1990s and are now common in the Missouri River of North America. These fish feed on plankton, tiny organisms floating in the water. Many native fish species, such as paddlefish, also feed on plankton. The feeding cycle of the paddlefish is slower than that of the carp. There are now so many carp in the lower Missouri River that paddlefish do not have enough food.

Invasive species sometimes thrive because there are no predators that hunt them in the new location. Brown tree snakes were accidentally brought to Guam, an island in the South Pacific, in the late 1940s or early 1950s. No animals on Guam hunted the snakes, but the island was filled with birds, rodents, and other small animals that the snakes hunt. The snakes quickly multiplied, and they are responsible for the extinction of nine of the island's 11 forest-dwelling bird species.

Many invasive species destroy habitat, the places where other plants and animals naturally live. Nutria are large rodents native to South America. Ranchers brought them to North America in the 1900s, hoping to raise them for their fur. Some nutria were released into the wild when the ranchers failed. Today, they are a major pest in the Gulf Coast and Chesapeake Bay regions of the United States. Nutria eat tall grasses and rushes. These plants are vital to the regions' marshy wetlands. They provide food, nesting sites, and shelter for many organisms. They also help secure sediment and soil, preventing the erosion of land. Nutria destroy the area's food web and habitat by consuming the wetland grasses.

Some invasive species do great harm to the economy. Water hyacinth is a plant native to South America that has become an invasive species in many parts of the world. People often introduce the plant, which grows in the water, because of its pretty flowers. But the plant spreads quickly, often choking out native wildlife. In Lake Victoria, Uganda, water hyacinth grew so thickly that boats could not get through it. Some ports were closed. Water hyacinth prevented sunlight from reaching underwater. Plants and algae could not grow, preventing fish from feeding and reproducing. Lake Victoria's fishing industry declined.

Invasive species can also damage property. Small zebra mussels clog the cooling systems in boat engines, while larger ones have damaged water pipes at power plants throughout the Great Lakes region.

Eradicating Invasive Species

Officials have used a variety of methods to try to eradicate, or get rid of, invasive species. The cats on Marion Island were infected with a virus, for instance.

Sometimes other species are introduced to help control an invasive species. In Australia, prickly pear cactus, which is native to the Americas, was growing out of control. The cactus was destroying rangeland, where ranchers raised livestock. The government brought in cactus moth caterpillars to eat the cactuses. The caterpillars are natural predators of the cactus.

Introducing insects can be dangerous, however. Sometimes, the insects also damage other plant species-they can become invasive species themselves. Chemicals have also been used to control invasive species, but they can sometimes harm noninvasive plants and animals.

Governments are working to educate the public about invasive species. For example, in the United States, international fishing vessels are warned to wash their boats before returning home. This prevents them from accidentally transporting zebra mussels or other species from one body of water to another.

Sometimes, communities approach invasive species like an invading army. Nutria in Chesapeake Bay destroy the natural habitat, as well as cost local governments and businesses millions of dollars each year. Environmental groups, business leaders, and government officials are concerned about the harm done by this invasive species.

Officials at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, in the U.S. state of Maryland, worked with hunters to eradicate the 8,500 nutria in the refuge. Hunters waded into specific areas of the marsh during specific times of the year. They tracked nutria using global positioning system (GPS) equipment and set traps that would kill the rodents. The hunters moved across the refuge in a massive, coordinated, west-to-east movement. In winter, the ice on Chesapeake Bay prevented the nutria from swimming away. Hunters could shoot them on sight.

The operation took two years, but nutria were eradicated from Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The wetland is slowly recovering.

Fast Fact

Stowaway Species
Many invasive species first arrive in a new area on huge cargo ships that travel back and forth across the ocean. Ships take on ballast water in their home port. The weight of this water makes the ships stable while they travel across the ocean. When a ship gets to its destination, it releases the ballast water.

Ballast water is teeming with living creatures that were in the water at the port on the other side of the globe. Scientists estimate that between 5,000 and 10,000 species are traveling around the world in ballast water at any given time. The first zebra mussels in the Great Lakes probably arrived in ballast water.

Fast Fact

Invasive Species: What You Can Do
The Nature Conservancy lists six easy ways to combat invasive species:

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An invasive species is an organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area. Invasive species can cause great economic and environmental harm to the new area.

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The threat posed by invasive species is second only to habitat destruction through development.

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Lygodium microphyllum Old World climbing fern is a great threat to Florida's native plants and animals. Its fronds grow up to 125 feet, suffocating everything beneath them. © Eric Blackmore

Policy

TNC staff serve on state and federal advisory committees, and inform policy-makers with the latest and best scientific advice. Certain non-native plants can wreak havoc on agricultural systems as well as natural habitats. Along with the University of Florida, TNC successfully advanced the adoption of a screening tool that predicts which plant species - including those being proposed as biofuels-might become invasive. UF now requires its extension agents to reference this tool before recommending plants. This tool also influences state policy, through the inclusion of UF on a state committee responsible for listing Florida's worst weeds, which determines whether they are allowed to be sold and planted in Florida. TNC staff advocate for a similar proactive risk assessment of non-native animals.

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Invasive Emerald Ash Borer The emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees so far and threatens to kill most of the 8.7 billion ash trees throughout North America. © Debbie Miller, USDA Forest Service

Science

TNC works to advance the science that underpins management and policy decisions focused on reducing the impact of invasive species. Along with Cornell University, the USDA Forest Service, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and Purdue University, TNC published a study showing that insects and diseases, including non-native wood-boring insects, reduce a forest's long-term ability to capture and store carbon. This study not only called the alarm, but importantly pointed to solutions to address the threat, including; improving forest management practices, strengthening polices to prevent non-native pests from entering North America, and promoting "slow the spread" programs - such as the Don't Move Firewood campaign.

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Burmese Python One of the world's largest snakes, they are now well-established in the Everglades due to being released by pet owners. They eat endangered native wading birds and deer. © Kris Serbesoff-King/TNC

Best Practices

When Burmese pythons were spotted swimming from the Everglades toward the Florida Keys, TNC created Python Patrol, and, once established, transferred this program to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This early-detection, rapid-response can help slow the spread of these non-native constrictor snakes. Python Patrol trains community workers to identify the snakes and call in sightings; wildlife professionals can then capture the snakes, which snack on endangered species and can grow longer than 20 feet.

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Feral Hog Feral hogs root like rototillers and steal more than $800 million per year from Florida's agricultural industry. © Joe Di Donato

Land Management

Because TNC owns and manages property, we understand the complexities and difficulties that public conservation lands face. As part of TNC's Center for Conservation Initiatives, stewardship staff strive to minimize the threat of invasive non-native species to advance natural resource management. TNC implements decontamination procedures to prevent the unintentional movement of invasive species, practices early detection and rapid response to new invasive species to thwart their establishment, and learns and shares the latest treatment approaches to conduct integrated pest management of established invasive species that are likely to be ecosystem game changers and which are controllable.

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Lionfish Red lionfish, native to the South Pacific and Indian oceans, is a vicious predator of native reef fish and its spines are toxic to humans. © Daniel & Robbie Wisdom

Partnerships

TNC joins state and federal agencies and private groups in carefully considered on-the-ground strategies to minimize the ecosystem impacts of invasive species. Regional Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) have been established to share expertise and resources. CISMAs are voluntary partnerships within geographic regions striving to work more effectively and efficiently together. TNC is actively engaged in four of these CISMA partnerships. TNC was also a founding member of the Florida Invasive Species Partnership, a group of representatives from agencies and organizations, that advises and helps implement the work of the CISMAs.

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Tiger Creek Preserve Tiger Creek Preserve sits on the edge of peninsular Florida's oldest and highest landmass, sheltering many threatened and endangered plants and animals. © Roberto Gonzalez

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Slowing the Spread of Invasive Species in Florida

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Invasive, non-native species cause serious damage when introduced to Florida's natural lands. The threat these unwanted invaders pose is second only to the direct destruction of habitats through development.

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Meeting society’s food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program

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The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society's food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Practitioners of sustainable agriculture seek to integrate three main objectives into their work: a healthy environment, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. Every person involved in the food system-growers, food processors, distributors, retailers, consumers, and waste managers-can play a role in ensuring a sustainable agricultural system.

There are many practices commonly used by people working in sustainable agriculture and sustainable food systems. Growers may use methods to promote soil health, minimize water use, and lower pollution levels on the farm. Consumers and retailers concerned with sustainability can look for " values-based" foods that are grown using methods promoting farmworker wellbeing, that are environmentally friendly, or that strengthen the local economy. And researchers in sustainable agriculture often cross disciplinary lines with their work: combining biology, economics, engineering, chemistry, community development, and many others. However, sustainable agriculture is more than a collection of practices. It is also process of negotiation: a push and pull between the sometimes competing interests of an individual farmer or of people in a community as they work to solve complex problems about how we grow our food and fiber.

Topics in sustainable agriculture

Directory of UC Programs in Sustainable Agriculture

This directory is a catalog of UC's programmatic activities in sustainable agriculture and food systems. All programs are sorted by activities and topic areas.

The Philosophy & Practices of Sustainable Agriculture

Background

Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fiber productivity soared due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favored maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labor demands to produce the majority of the food and fiber in the U.S.

Although these changes have had many positive effects and reduced many risks in farming, there have also been significant costs. Prominent among these are topsoil depletion, groundwater contamination, the decline of family farms, continued neglect of the living and working conditions for farm laborers, increasing costs of production, and the disintegration of economic and social conditions in rural communities.

Potential Costs of Modern Agricultural Techniques

Topsoil
Depletion

Groundwater
Contamination

Degradation of
Rural Communities

Poor Conditions
For Farmworkers

Increased Production
Costs

A growing movement has emerged during the past two decades to question the role of the agricultural establishment in promoting practices that contribute to these social problems. Today this movement for sustainable agriculture is garnering increasing support and acceptance within mainstream agriculture. Not only does sustainable agriculture address many environmental and social concerns, but it offers innovative and economically viable opportunities for growers, laborers, consumers, policymakers and many others in the entire food system.

This page is an effort to identify the ideas, practices and policies that constitute our concept of sustainable agriculture. We do so for two reasons: 1) to clarify the research agenda and priorities of our program, and 2) to suggest to others practical steps that may be appropriate for them in moving toward sustainable agriculture. Because the concept of sustainable agriculture is still evolving, we intend this page not as a definitive or final statement, but as an invitation to continue the dialogue

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

A variety of philosophies, policies and practices have contributed to these goals. People in many different capacities, from farmers to consumers, have shared this vision and contributed to it.

Despite the diversity of people and perspectives, the following themes commonly weave through definitions of sustainable agriculture:

Sustainability rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Therefore, stewardship of both natural and human resources is of prime importance. Stewardship of human resources includes consideration of social responsibilities such as working and living conditions of laborers, the needs of rural communities, and consumer health and safety both in the present and the future. Stewardship of land and natural resources involves maintaining or enhancing this vital resource base for the long term.

A systems perspective is essential to understanding sustainability.
The system is envisioned in its broadest sense, from the individual farm, to the local ecosystem, and to communities affected by this farming system both locally and globally. An emphasis on the system allows a larger and more thorough view of the consequences of farming practices on both human communities and the environment. A systems approach gives us the tools to explore the interconnections between farming and other aspects of our environment.

Everyone plays a role in creating a sustainable food system.

A systems approach also implies interdisciplinary efforts in research and education.
This requires not only the input of researchers from various disciplines, but also farmers, farmworkers, consumers, policymakers and others.

Making the transition to sustainable agriculture is a process.
For farmers, the transition to sustainable agriculture normally requires a series of small, realistic steps. Family economics and personal goals influence how fast or how far participants can go in the transition. It is important to realize that each small decision can make a difference and contribute to advancing the entire system further on the "sustainable agriculture continuum." The key to moving forward is the will to take the next step.

Finally, it is important to point out that reaching toward the goal of sustainable agriculture is the responsibility of all participants in the system, including farmers, laborers, policymakers, researchers, retailers, and consumers. Each group has its own part to play, its own unique contribution to make to strengthen the sustainable agriculture community.

The remainder of this page considers specific strategies for realizing these broad themes or goals. The strategies are grouped according to three separate though related areas of concern: Farming and Natural Resources, Plant and Animal Production Practices, and the Economic, Social and Political Context. They represent a range of potential ideas for individuals committed to interpreting the vision of sustainable agriculture within their own circumstances.

Farming and Natural Resources

When the production of food and fiber degrades the natural resource base, the ability of future generations to produce and flourish decreases. The decline of ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean region, Pre-Columbian southwest U.S. and Central America is believed to have been strongly influenced by natural resource degradation from non-sustainable farming and forestry practices.

Water

Water is the principal resource that has helped agriculture and society to prosper, and it has been a major limiting factor when mismanaged.

Water supply and use. In California, an extensive water storage and transfer system has been established which has allowed crop production to expand to very arid regions. In drought years, limited surface water supplies have prompted overdraft of groundwater and consequent intrusion of salt water, or permanent collapse of aquifers. Periodic droughts, some lasting up to 50 years, have occurred in California.
Several steps should be taken to develop drought-resistant farming systems even in "normal" years, including both policy and management actions:
1) improving water conservation and storage measures,

2) providing incentives for selection of drought-tolerant crop species,

3) using reduced-volume irrigation systems,

4) managing crops to reduce water loss, or

5) not planting at all.

Water quality. The most important issues related to water quality involve salinization and contamination of ground and surface waters by pesticides, nitrates and selenium. Salinity has become a problem wherever water of even relatively low salt content is used on shallow soils in arid regions and/or where the water table is near the root zone of crops. Tile drainage can remove the water and salts, but the disposal of the salts and other contaminants may negatively affect the environment depending upon where they are deposited. Temporary solutions include the use of salt-tolerant crops, low-volume irrigation, and various management techniques to minimize the effects of salts on crops. In the long-term, some farmland may need to be removed from production or converted to other uses. Other uses include conversion of row crop land to production of drought-tolerant forages, the restoration of wildlife habitat or the use of agroforestry to minimize the impacts of salinity and high water tables. Pesticide and nitrate contamination of water can be reduced using many of the practices discussed later in the Plant Production Practices and Animal Production Practices sections.

Wildlife. Another way in which agriculture affects water resources is through the destruction of riparian habitats within watersheds. The conversion of wild habitat to agricultural land reduces fish and wildlife through erosion and sedimentation, the effects of pesticides, removal of riparian plants, and the diversion of water. The plant diversity in and around both riparian and agricultural areas should be maintained in order to support a diversity of wildlife. This diversity will enhance natural ecosystems and could aid in agricultural pest management.

Energy

Modern agriculture is heavily dependent on non-renewable energy sources, especially petroleum. The continued use of these energy sources cannot be sustained indefinitely, yet to abruptly abandon our reliance on them would be economically catastrophic. However, a sudden cutoff in energy supply would be equally disruptive. In sustainable agricultural systems, there is reduced reliance on non-renewable energy sources and a substitution of renewable sources or labor to the extent that is economically feasible.

Air

Many agricultural activities affect air quality. These include smoke from agricultural burning; dust from tillage, traffic and harvest; pesticide drift from spraying; and nitrous oxide emissions from the use of nitrogen fertilizer. Options to improve air quality include:

- incorporating crop residue into the soil
- using appropriate levels of tillage
- and planting wind breaks, cover crops or strips of native perennial grasses to reduce dust.

Soil

Soil erosion continues to be a serious threat to our continued ability to produce adequate food. Numerous practices have been developed to keep soil in place, which include:

- reducing or eliminating tillage
- managing irrigation to reduce runoff
- and keeping the soil covered with plants or mulch.

Enhancement of soil quality is discussed in the next section.

Plant Production Practices

Sustainable production practices involve a variety of approaches. Specific strategies must take into account topography, soil characteristics, climate, pests, local availability of inputs and the individual grower's goals.

Despite the site-specific and individual nature of sustainable agriculture, several general principles can be applied to help growers select appropriate management practices:

- Selection of species and varieties that are well suited to the site and to conditions on the farm;
- Diversification of crops (including livestock) and cultural practices to enhance the biological and economic stability of the farm;
- Management of the soil to enhance and protect soil quality;
- Efficient and humane use of inputs; and
- Consideration of farmers' goals and lifestyle choices.

Selection of site, species and variety

Preventive strategies, adopted early, can reduce inputs and help establish a sustainable production system. When possible, pest-resistant crops should be selected which are tolerant of existing soil or site conditions. When site selection is an option, factors such as soil type and depth, previous crop history, and location (e.g. climate, topography) should be taken into account before planting.

Diversity

Diversified farms are usually more economically and ecologically resilient. While monoculture farming has advantages in terms of efficiency and ease of management, the loss of the crop in any one year could put a farm out of business and/or seriously disrupt the stability of a community dependent on that crop. By growing a variety of crops, farmers spread economic risk and are less susceptible to the radical price fluctuations associated with changes in supply and demand.

Properly managed, diversity can also buffer a farm in a biological sense. For example, in annual cropping systems, crop rotation can be used to suppress weeds, pathogens and insect pests. Also, cover crops can have stabilizing effects on the agroecosystem by holding soil and nutrients in place, conserving soil moisture with mowed or standing dead mulches, and by increasing the water infiltration rate and soil water holding capacity. Cover crops in orchards and vineyards can buffer the system against pest infestations by increasing beneficial arthropod populations and can therefore reduce the need for chemical inputs. Using a variety of cover crops is also important in order to protect against the failure of a particular species to grow and to attract and sustain a wide range of beneficial arthropods.

Optimum diversity may be obtained by integrating both crops and livestock in the same farming operation. This was the common practice for centuries until the mid-1900s when technology, government policy and economics compelled farms to become more specialized. Mixed crop and livestock operations have several advantages. First, growing row crops only on more level land and pasture or forages on steeper slopes will reduce soil erosion. Second, pasture and forage crops in rotation enhance soil quality and reduce erosion; livestock manure, in turn, contributes to soil fertility. Third, livestock can buffer the negative impacts of low rainfall periods by consuming crop residue that in "plant only" systems would have been considered crop failures. Finally, feeding and marketing are flexible in animal production systems. This can help cushion farmers against trade and price fluctuations and, in conjunction with cropping operations, make more efficient use of farm labor.

Soil management

A common philosophy among sustainable agriculture practitioners is that a "healthy" soil is a key component of sustainability; that is, a healthy soil will produce healthy crop plants that have optimum vigor and are less susceptible to pests. While many crops have key pests that attack even the healthiest of plants, proper soil, water and nutrient management can help prevent some pest problems brought on by crop stress or nutrient imbalance. Furthermore, crop management systems that impair soil quality often result in greater inputs of water, nutrients, pesticides, and/or energy for tillage to maintain yields.

In sustainable systems, the soil is viewed as a fragile and living medium that must be protected and nurtured to ensure its long-term productivity and stability. Methods to protect and enhance the productivity of the soil include:

- using cover crops, compost and/or manures
- reducing tillage
- avoiding traffic on wet soils
- maintaining soil cover with plants and/or mulches

Conditions in most California soils (warm, irrigated, and tilled) do not favor the buildup of organic matter. Regular additions of organic matter or the use of cover crops can increase soil aggregate stability, soil tilth, and diversity of soil microbial life.

Efficient use of inputs

Many inputs and practices used by conventional farmers are also used in sustainable agriculture. Sustainable farmers, however, maximize reliance on natural, renewable, and on-farm inputs. Equally important are the environmental, social, and economic impacts of a particular strategy. Converting to sustainable practices does not mean simple input substitution. Frequently, it substitutes enhanced management and scientific knowledge for conventional inputs, especially chemical inputs that harm the environment on farms and in rural communities. The goal is to develop efficient, biological systems which do not need high levels of material inputs.

Growers frequently ask if synthetic chemicals are appropriate in a sustainable farming system. Sustainable approaches are those that are the least toxic and least energy intensive, and yet maintain productivity and profitability. Preventive strategies and other alternatives should be employed before using chemical inputs from any source. However, there may be situations where the use of synthetic chemicals would be more "sustainable" than a strictly non-chemical approach or an approach using toxic "organic" chemicals. For example, one grape grower switched from tillage to a few applications of a broad spectrum contact herbicide in the vine row. This approach may use less energy and may compact the soil less than numerous passes with a cultivator or mower.

Consideration of farmer goals and lifestyle choices

Management decisions should reflect not only environmental and broad social considerations, but also individual goals and lifestyle choices. For example, adoption of some technologies or practices that promise profitability may also require such intensive management that one's lifestyle actually deteriorates. Management decisions that promote sustainability, nourish the environment, the community and the individual.

Animal Production Practices

In the early part of this century, most farms integrated both crop and livestock operations. Indeed, the two were highly complementary both biologically and economically. The current picture has changed quite drastically since then. Crop and animal producers now are still dependent on one another to some degree, but the integration now most commonly takes place at a higher level-- between farmers, through intermediaries, rather than within the farm itself. This is the result of a trend toward separation and specialization of crop and animal production systems. Despite this trend, there are still many farmers, particularly in the Midwest and Northeastern U.S. that integrate crop and animal systems--either on dairy farms, or with range cattle, sheep or hog operations.

Even with the growing specialization of livestock and crop producers, many of the principles outlined in the crop production section apply to both groups. The actual management practices will, of course, be quite different. Some of the specific points that livestock producers need to address are listed below.

Management Planning

Including livestock in the farming system increases the complexity of biological and economic relationships. The mobility of the stock, daily feeding, health concerns, breeding operations, seasonal feed and forage sources, and complex marketing are sources of this complexity. Therefore, a successful ranch plan should include enterprise calendars of operations, stock flows, forage flows, labor needs, herd production records and land use plans to give the manager control and a means of monitoring progress toward goals.

Animal Selection

The animal enterprise must be appropriate for the farm or ranch resources. Farm capabilities and constraints such as feed and forage sources, landscape, climate and skill of the manager must be considered in selecting which animals to produce. For example, ruminant animals can be raised on a variety of feed sources including range and pasture, cultivated forage, cover crops, shrubs, weeds, and crop residues. There is a wide range of breeds available in each of the major ruminant species, i.e., cattle, sheep and goats. Hardier breeds that, in general, have lower growth and milk production potential, are better adapted to less favorable environments with sparse or highly seasonal forage growth.

Animal nutrition

Feed costs are the largest single variable cost in any livestock operation. While most of the feed may come from other enterprises on the ranch, some purchased feed is usually imported from off the farm. Feed costs can be kept to a minimum by monitoring animal condition and performance and understanding seasonal variations in feed and forage quality on the farm. Determining the optimal use of farm-generated by-products is an important challenge of diversified farming.

Reproduction

Use of quality germplasm to improve herd performance is another key to sustainability. In combination with good genetic stock, adapting the reproduction season to fit the climate and sources of feed and forage reduce health problems and feed costs.

Herd Health

Animal health greatly influences reproductive success and weight gains, two key aspects of successful livestock production. Unhealthy stock waste feed and require additional labor. A herd health program is critical to sustainable livestock production.

Grazing Management

Most adverse environmental impacts associated with grazing can be prevented or mitigated with proper grazing management. First, the number of stock per unit area (stocking rate) must be correct for the landscape and the forage sources. There will need to be compromises between the convenience of tilling large, unfenced fields and the fencing needs of livestock operations. Use of modern, temporary fencing may provide one practical solution to this dilemma. Second, the long term carrying capacity and the stocking rate must take into account short and long-term droughts. Especially in Mediterranean climates such as in California, properly managed grazing significantly reduces fire hazards by reducing fuel build-up in grasslands and brushlands. Finally, the manager must achieve sufficient control to reduce overuse in some areas while other areas go unused. Prolonged concentration of stock that results in permanent loss of vegetative cover on uplands or in riparian zones should be avoided. However, small scale loss of vegetative cover around water or feed troughs may be tolerated if surrounding vegetative cover is adequate.

Confined Livestock Production

Animal health and waste management are key issues in confined livestock operations. The moral and ethical debate taking place today regarding animal welfare is particularly intense for confined livestock production systems. The issues raised in this debate need to be addressed.

Confinement livestock production is increasingly a source of surface and ground water pollutants, particularly where there are large numbers of animals per unit area. Expensive waste management facilities are now a necessary cost of confined production systems. Waste is a problem of almost all operations and must be managed with respect to both the environment and the quality of life in nearby communities. Livestock production systems that disperse stock in pastures so the wastes are not concentrated and do not overwhelm natural nutrient cycling processes have become a subject of renewed interest.

The Economic, Social & Political Context

In addition to strategies for preserving natural resources and changing production practices, sustainable agriculture requires a commitment to changing public policies, economic institutions, and social values. Strategies for change must take into account the complex, reciprocal and ever-changing relationship between agricultural production and the broader society.

The "food system" extends far beyond the farm and involves the interaction of individuals and institutions with contrasting and often competing goals including farmers, researchers, input suppliers, farmworkers, unions, farm advisors, processors, retailers, consumers, and policymakers. Relationships among these actors shift over time as new technologies spawn economic, social and political changes.

A wide diversity of strategies and approaches are necessary to create a more sustainable food system. These will range from specific and concentrated efforts to alter specific policies or practices, to the longer-term tasks of reforming key institutions, rethinking economic priorities, and challenging widely-held social values. Areas of concern where change is most needed include the following:

Food and agricultural policy

Existing federal, state and local government policies often impede the goals of sustainable agriculture. New policies are needed to simultaneously promote environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. For example, commodity and price support programs could be restructured to allow farmers to realize the full benefits of the productivity gains made possible through alternative practices. Tax and credit policies could be modified to encourage a diverse and decentralized system of family farms rather than corporate concentration and absentee ownership. Government and land grant university research policies could be modified to emphasize the development of sustainable alternatives. Marketing orders and cosmetic standards could be amended to encourage reduced pesticide use. Coalitions must be created to address these policy concerns at the local, regional, and national level.

Land use

Conversion of agricultural land to urban uses is a particular concern in California, as rapid growth and escalating land values threaten farming on prime soils. Existing farmland conversion patterns often discourage farmers from adopting sustainable practices and a long-term perspective on the value of land. At the same time, the close proximity of newly developed residential areas to farms is increasing the public demand for environmentally safe farming practices. Comprehensive new policies to protect prime soils and regulate development are needed, particularly in California's Central Valley. By helping farmers to adopt practices that reduce chemical use and conserve scarce resources, sustainable agriculture research and education can play a key role in building public support for agricultural land preservation. Educating land use planners and decision-makers about sustainable agriculture is an important priority.

Labor

In California, the conditions of agricultural labor are generally far below accepted social standards and legal protections in other forms of employment. Policies and programs are needed to address this problem, working toward socially just and safe employment that provides adequate wages, working conditions, health benefits, and chances for economic stability. The needs of migrant labor for year-around employment and adequate housing are a particularly crucial problem needing immediate attention. To be more sustainable over the long-term, labor must be acknowledged and supported by government policies, recognized as important constituents of land grant universities, and carefully considered when assessing the impacts of new technologies and practices.

Rural Community Development

Rural communities in California are currently characterized by economic and environmental deterioration. Many are among the poorest locations in the nation. The reasons for the decline are complex, but changes in farm structure have played a significant role. Sustainable agriculture presents an opportunity to rethink the importance of family farms and rural communities. Economic development policies are needed that encourage more diversified agricultural production on family farms as a foundation for healthy economies in rural communities. In combination with other strategies, sustainable agriculture practices and policies can help foster community institutions that meet employment, educational, health, cultural and spiritual needs.

Consumers and the Food System

Consumers can play a critical role in creating a sustainable food system. Through their purchases, they send strong messages to producers, retailers and others in the system about what they think is important. Food cost and nutritional quality have always influenced consumer choices. The challenge now is to find strategies that broaden consumer perspectives, so that environmental quality, resource use, and social equity issues are also considered in shopping decisions. At the same time, new policies and institutions must be created to enable producers using sustainable practices to market their goods to a wider public. Coalitions organized around improving the food system are one specific method of creating a dialogue among consumers, retailers, producers and others. These coalitions or other public forums can be important vehicles for clarifying issues, suggesting new policies, increasing mutual trust, and encouraging a long-term view of food production, distribution and consumption.

Contributors: Written by Gail Feenstra, Writer; Chuck Ingels, Perennial Cropping Systems Analyst; and David Campbell, Economic and Public Policy Analyst with contributions from David Chaney, Melvin R. George, Eric Bradford, the staff and advisory committees of the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

How to cite this page
UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. 2021. "What is Sustainable Agriculture?" UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. <https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/sustainable-ag>
This page was last updated August 3, 2021.

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The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet society's food and textile needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education is divided into four different regions that operate as separate entities and run grant programs for their states.

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Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program

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Farmer-driven innovations in agriculture that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life.

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Forests provide more than 86 million green jobs and resources such as food and fuel that support billions of people’s livelihoods

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Deforestation and Forest Degradation | Threats | WWF

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Learn how you can help support WWF’s conservation work which addresses direct and indirect threats, including deforestation, in order to conserve biodiversity and reduce humanity’s ecological footprint.

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Slash-and-burn agriculture is a big contributor to deforestation in the tropics.

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Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land. Throughout history and into modern times, forests have been razed to make space for agriculture and animal grazing, and to obtain wood for fuel, manufacturing, and construction.

Deforestation has greatly altered landscapes around the world. About 2,000 years ago, 80 percent of Western Europe was forested; today the figure is 34 percent. In North America, about half of the forests in the eastern part of the continent were cut down from the 1600s to the 1870s for timber and agriculture. China has lost great expanses of its forests over the past 4,000 years and now just over 20 percent of it is forested. Much of Earth's farmland was once forests.

Today, the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring in tropical rainforests, aided by extensive road construction into regions that were once almost inaccessible. Building or upgrading roads into forests makes them more accessible for exploitation. Slash-and-burn agriculture is a big contributor to deforestation in the tropics. With this agricultural method, farmers burn large swaths of forest, allowing the ash to fertilize the land for crops. The land is only fertile for a few years, however, after which the farmers move on to repeat the process elsewhere. Tropical forests are also cleared to make way for logging, cattle ranching, and oil palm and rubber tree plantations.

Deforestation can result in more carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. That is because trees take in carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis, and carbon is locked chemically in their wood. When trees are burned, this carbon returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. With fewer trees around to take in the carbon dioxide, this greenhouse gas accumulates in the atmosphere and accelerates global warming.

Deforestation also threatens the world's biodiversity. Tropical forests are home to great numbers of animal and plant species. When forests are logged or burned, it can drive many of those species into extinction. Some scientists say we are already in the midst of a mass-extinction episode.

More immediately, the loss of trees from a forest can leave soil more prone to erosion. This causes the remaining plants to become more vulnerable to fire as the forest shifts from being a closed, moist environment to an open, dry one.

While deforestation can be permanent, this is not always the case. In North America, for example, forests in many areas are returning thanks to conservation efforts.

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Deforestation is the intentional clearing of forested land.

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Farming, grazing of livestock, mining, and drilling combined account for more than half of all deforestation.

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Deforestation and Its Effect on the Planet

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Learn about the manmade and natural causes of deforestation–and how it’s impacting our planet.

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COVID-19 could stop deforestation.

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New report reveals an area roughly the size of California, totaling 43 million hectares, was lost to deforestation in just over a decade. WWF calling for COVID-19 to serve as a trigger for greater action to safeguard forests.

Gland (13 January) - The COVID-19 crisis could open the door for the kind of radical changes that are essential to safeguard our forests and help prevent the next pandemic by putting a stop to deforestation once and for all, according to WWF, whose new report reveals that an area roughly five times the size of the United Arab Emirates was lost to deforestation in just over a decade in the tropics and subtropics alone.

The Deforestation fronts: Drivers and responses in a changing world report, published today, analysed 24 "deforestation fronts", or hotspots, across 29 countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa and found that more than 43 million hectares of forest were lost in these areas over a 13-year period. The report found that deforestation was taking place at the fastest rates in the following nine locations: the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado, the Bolivian Amazon, Paraguay, Argentina, Madagascar, and Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia and Malaysia.

"While the figures we're sharing today are alarming, the process of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic may provide an opportunity for the kind of transformative changes that are essential to safeguard our forests - changes that have been identified as necessary for some time," says Fran Raymond Price, Forest Practice Lead at WWF International. "Forests covered about half of the Earth's land area 8,000 years ago, but today only 30% of land is forested, with deforestation continuing at shocking rates, particularly in places that are home to some of the world's most vulnerable communities and endangered wildlife.

"We urgently need to change our relationship with nature. As governments create policies to address the economic and social impacts of the global pandemic, we must address over-consumption and put greater value on health and nature rather than the current overwhelming emphasis on economic growth and financial profits at all costs. This is in humanity's best interests: the risk of new diseases emerging is higher in tropical forest regions that are experiencing land-use change, like many of the deforestation fronts, so if we don't tackle deforestation while we can, we could miss out on our chance to help prevent the next pandemic."

Commercial agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation globally, according to the report, particularly large-scale agriculture, with forested areas cleared to create space for livestock and to grow crops. Subsistence agriculture is a driver in some geographies, for example in Africa. In Asia, the main drivers are the expansion of plantations and commercial agriculture linked to global demand and domestic markets. Across all 24 fronts, infrastructure development, including the expansion of roads and mining operations, also contributes to deforestation.

In the Brazilian Cerrado, home to 5% of the planet's animals and plants, land has been rapidly cleared for cattle and soy production, resulting in the loss of a third (32.8%) of its forest area between 2004 and 2017.

Ana Mota da Silva, a member of the Afro-descendant Mumbuca community, who lives in the Cerrado, where deforestation rose by 13% in 2020, says: "Thinking about the Cerrado in 50 to 60 years' time makes me hurt. Knowing that our rivers are drying up, that so many trees are dying...the certainty that my sons, cousins, my descendants will not see what I have seen. I joke with my mum that we should take a picture of the Cerrado because soon it will only exist in pictures. We now face the Cerrado being devastated and us with it."

In the Cerrado and elsewhere, deforestation is a major factor leading to rising temperatures, which is why WWF wants combating deforestation to be recognised as a vital component of climate change mitigation.

"Stronger efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation must be part of the solution to the global climate change crisis," says Pablo Pacheco, WWF Forest Practice Lead Scientist. "The agriculture, forestry and land-use sectors account for about a quarter of all global greenhouse gas emissions, so by tackling forest loss, managing forests more sustainably and shifting to more sustainable food systems, we can cut down our emissions. There's no alternative if we want to achieve our global climate goals."

The Deforestation Fronts report urges citizens everywhere to pay their part in combating deforestation by protecting nature where they live, avoiding products linked to deforestation such as certain meat, soy and palm oil products by looking carefully at labels showing their provenance; and calling on their leaders to champion policies that halt deforestation and restore forests.
The report also calls for a number of urgent actions from governments, businesses and regulators, including:

Securing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities to their lands and territories and strengthening local control of forests.

Securing the conservation of biodiversity-rich areas.

Ensuring products sourced from forests are produced and traded legally and sustainably.

Ensuring that companies' supply chains are as sustainable as possible and encouraging more companies and financial institutions to commit to zero deforestation.

Creating policies and legislation that ensure all imported forest commodities and products - and related finance - are free from deforestation and ecosystem conversion, and respect human rights.

The report tracked 24 deforestation fronts in the tropics and sub-tropics, covering an area of 710 million hectares, from 2004 to 2017. Nine of the 24 deforestation fronts are in Latin America, a region that has experienced a particularly dramatic decline in wildlife populations; eight are in Africa and seven in Asia-Pacific.

With world leaders scheduled to take critical decisions on the environment and climate this year, WWF is calling on them to secure a New Deal for Nature and People that sets nature on the path to recovery this decade, tackles climate change and safeguards the future of humanity. Action to tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss, such as deforestation, is essential to securing a nature-positive world.

Ends.

Contact: news@wwfint.org

Editor's notes:
*These deforestation fronts comprise over half (52%) of the total deforestation that took place in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania over the period 2004 to 2017. This suggests that, despite the importance of these fronts, deforestation is taking place on a widespread scale outside of these hotspots.

As world leaders join the One Planet Summit for Biodiversity online and in Paris on 11 January, WWF will be calling on participants to take unprecedented action on preventing deforestation as a key strategy for averting future pandemics.

WWF's report 'COVID 19: urgent call to protect people and nature', released in June 2020, showed that the environmental factors driving the emergence of zoonotic diseases are: land-use change leading to deforestation and conversion, the trade and consumption of high-risk wildlife, the expansion of agriculture and unsustainable intensification and animal production.

The 24 fronts identified in the Deforestation Fronts report are:
LATIN AMERICA
1 Amazon - Brazil
2 Amazon - Colombia
3 Amazon - Peru
4 Amazon - Bolivia
5 Amazon - Venezuela/Guyana
6 Gran Chaco - Paraguay/Argentina
7 Cerrado - Brazil
8 Chocó-Darién - Colombia/Ecuador
9 Maya Forests - Mexico/Guatemala
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
10 West Africa - Liberia/Ivory Coast/Ghana
11 Central Africa - Cameroon
12 Central Africa - Gabon/Cameroon/Republic of Congo
13 Central Africa - DRC/CAR
14 Central Africa - Angola
15 East Africa - Zambia
16 East Africa - Mozambique
17 East Africa - Madagascar
SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA
18 Mekong - Cambodia
19 Mekong - Laos
20 Mekong - Myanmar
21 Sumatra - Indonesia
22 Borneo - Indonesia/Malaysia
23 New Guinea - Indonesia/PNG
24 Eastern Australia

About WWF
WWF is an independent conservation organization, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Visit www.panda.org/news for the latest news and media resources and follow us on Twitter @ WWF_media

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WWF report: COVID-19 could give rise to radical change needed to stop deforestation once and fo

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New report reveals an area roughly the size of California, totaling 43 million hectares, was lost to deforestation in just over a decade. WWF calling for COVID-19 to serve as a trigger for greater action to safeguard forests.

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Sustainable farming practices can diminish the need for more land

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Deforestation can include clearing the land for farming or livestock, or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing.

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Solar technology capture this radiation and turn it into useful forms of energy.

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The amount of sunlight that strikes the earth's surface in an hour and a half is enough to handle the entire world's energy consumption for a full year. Solar technologies convert sunlight into electrical energy either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. This energy can be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries or thermal storage.

Below, you can find resources and information on the basics of solar radiation, photovoltaic and concentrating solar-thermal power technologies, electrical grid systems integration, and the non-hardware aspects ( soft costs) of solar energy. You can also learn more about how to go solar and the solar energy industry. In addition, you can dive deeper into solar energy and learn about how the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office is driving innovative research and development in these areas.

Solar Energy 101

Solar radiation is light - also known as electromagnetic radiation - that is emitted by the sun. While every location on Earth receives some sunlight over a year, the amount of solar radiation that reaches any one spot on the Earth's surface varies. Solar technologies capture this radiation and turn it into useful forms of energy.

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Learn solar energy technology basics: solar radiation, photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP), grid integration, and soft costs.

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Using solar panels to power kitchen appliances is effient.

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Can Solar Panels Power My Home’s Appliances? | Solar Energy Tips

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Interested in solar panels and wondering how much you’ll need to power your home’s appliances? Find out the details here!

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Ecosystems can vary in size but it is the foundation of the biosphere.

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The word ecosystem means ecological systems. Ecology is the study of ecosystems

An ecosystem includes all the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area, interacting with each other, and with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil, climate, atmosphere). In an ecosystem, each organism has its own niche or role to play.

Ecosystems are the foundations of the Biosphere and they determine the health of the entire Earth system.

Sir Arthur George Tansley (1871 -1955) was an English botanist who introduced the concept of the ecosystem into biology

Ernst Heinrich Philipp August (1834 -1919) was a German biologist, naturalist philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist, and artist who discovered, described and named thousands of new species mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms invented many words commonly used by biologists today, such as phylum, phylogeny, and ecology.

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in a particular area.

The term `eco' refers to a part of the world and `system' refers to the co-ordinating units. An ecosystem is a community of organisms and their physical environment interacting together. Environment involves both living organisms and the non-living physical conditions. These two are inseparable but inter-related. The living and physical components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.

The organisms in an ecosystem are usually well balanced with each other and with their environment. An ecosystem may be natural or artificial, land-based or water-based. Artificial systems may include a cropland, a garden, a park or an aquarium. Introduction of new environmental factors or new species can have disastrous results, eventually leading to the collapse of an ecosystem and the death of many of its native species. Some of the major non-living factors of an ecosystem are: Sunlight Water Temperature Oxygen Soil Air

How big is an ecosystem?

Ecosystems can be of any size, but usually they are places. An ecosystem may be of very different size. It may be a whole forest, as well as a small pond. An ecosystem may be as large as the Great Barrier Reef or as small as the back of a spider crab's shell, which provides a home for plants and other animals, such as sponges, algae and worms.

Ecosystem boundaries are not marked (separated) by rigid lines. Ecosystems are often separated by geographical barriers such as deserts, mountains, oceans, lakes and rivers. As these borders are never rigid, ecosystems tend to blend into each other. Therefore, a lake can have many small ecosystems with their own unique characteristics. As a result, the whole earth can be seen as a single ecosystem, or a lake can be divided into several ecosystems, depending on the used scale. Scientists call this blending "ecotone"

Ecosystem diversity

Ecosystem diversity is the variety of ecosystems in a given place. An ecosystem is a community of organisms and their physical environment interacting together. For food, shelter, growth and development, all life systems interact with the environment. This is why it is necessary to preserve the ecosystems.

Scales of Ecosystems

Ecosystems come in indefinite sizes. It can exist in a small area such as underneath a rock, a decaying tree trunk, or a pond in your village, or it can exist in large forms such as an entire rain forest. Technically, the Earth can be called a huge ecosystem.

Ecosystems can be classified into three main scales.
Micro: A small scale ecosystem such as a pond, puddle, tree trunk, under a rock etc.
Messo: A medium scale ecosystem such as a forest or a large lake.
Biome: A very large ecosystem or collection of ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic factors such as an entire Rainforest with millions of animals and trees, with many different water bodies running through them.

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Ecosystems are the foundations of the Biosphere and they determine the health of the entire Earth system.

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Ecosystems of organisms differ based on different biomes.

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An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life.

Subjects

Biology, Ecology, Earth Science, Meteorology, Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography

An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life. Ecosystems contain biotic or living, parts, as well as abiotic factors, or nonliving parts. Biotic factors include plants, animals, and other organisms. Abiotic factors include rocks, temperature, and humidity.

Every factor in an ecosystem depends on every other factor, either directly or indirectly. A change in the temperature of an ecosystem will often affect what plants will grow there, for instance. Animals that depend on plants for food and shelter will have to adapt to the changes, move to another ecosystem, or perish.

Ecosystems can be very large or very small. Tide pools, the ponds left by the ocean as the tide goes out, are complete, tiny ecosystems. Tide pools contain seaweed, a kind of algae, which uses photosynthesis to create food. Herbivores such as abalone eat the seaweed. Carnivores such as sea stars eat other animals in the tide pool, such as clams or mussels. Tide pools depend on the changing level of ocean water. Some organisms, such as seaweed, thrive in an aquatic environment, when the tide is in and the pool is full. Other organisms, such as hermit crabs, cannot live underwater and depend on the shallow pools left by low tides. In this way, the biotic parts of the ecosystem depend on abiotic factors.

The whole surface of Earth is a series of connected ecosystems. Ecosystems are often connected in a larger biome. Biomes are large sections of land, sea, or atmosphere. Forests, ponds, reefs, and tundra are all types of biomes, for example. They're organized very generally, based on the types of plants and animals that live in them. Within each forest, each pond, each reef, or each section of tundra, you'll find many different ecosystems.

The biome of the Sahara Desert, for instance, includes a wide variety of ecosystems. The arid climate and hot weather characterize the biome. Within the Sahara are oasis ecosystems, which have date palm trees, freshwater, and animals such as crocodiles. The Sahara also has dune ecosystems, with the changing landscape determined by the wind. Organisms in these ecosystems, such as snakes or scorpions, must be able to survive in sand dunes for long periods of time. The Sahara even includes a marine environment, where the Atlantic Ocean creates cool fogs on the Northwest African coast. Shrubs and animals that feed on small trees, such as goats, live in this Sahara ecosystem.

Even similar-sounding biomes could have completely different ecosystems. The biome of the Sahara Desert, for instance, is very different from the biome of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China. The Gobi is a cold desert, with frequent snowfall and freezing temperatures. Unlike the Sahara, the Gobi has ecosystems based not in sand, but kilometers of bare rock. Some grasses are able to grow in the cold, dry climate. As a result, these Gobi ecosystems have grazing animals such as gazelles and even takhi, an endangered species of wild horse.

Even the cold desert ecosystems of the Gobi are distinct from the freezing desert ecosystems of Antarctica. Antarcticas thick ice sheet covers a continent made almost entirely of dry, bare rock. Only a few mosses grow in this desert ecosystem, supporting only a few birds, such as skuas.

Threats to Ecosystems

For thousands of years, people have interacted with ecosystems. Many cultures developed around nearby ecosystems. Many Native American tribes of North Americas Great Plains developed a complex lifestyle based on the native plants and animals of plains ecosystems, for instance. Bison, a large grazing animal native to the Great Plains, became the most important biotic factor in many Plains Indians cultures, such as the Lakota or Kiowa. Bison are sometimes mistakenly called buffalo. These tribes used buffalo hides for shelter and clothing, buffalo meat for food, and buffalo horn for tools. The tallgrass prairie of the Great Plains supported bison herds, which tribes followed throughout the year.

As human populations have grown, however, people have overtaken many ecosystems. The tallgrass prairie of the Great Plains, for instance, became farmland. As the ecosystem shrunk, fewer bison could survive. Today, a few herds survive in protected ecosystems such as Yellowstone National Park.

In the tropical rain forest ecosystems surrounding the Amazon River in South America, a similar situation is taking place. The Amazon rain forest includes hundreds of ecosystems, including canopies, understories, and forest floors. These ecosystems support vast food webs.

Canopies are ecosystems at the top of the rainforest, where tall, thin trees such as figs grow in search of sunlight. Canopy ecosystems also include other plants, called epiphytes, which grow directly on branches. Understory ecosystems exist under the canopy. They are darker and more humid than canopies. Animals such as monkeys live in understory ecosystems, eating fruits from trees as well as smaller animals like beetles. Forest floor ecosystems support a wide variety of flowers, which are fed on by insects like butterflies. Butterflies, in turn, provide food for animals such as spiders in forest floor ecosystems.

Human activity threatens all these rain forest ecosystems in the Amazon. Thousands of acres of land are cleared for farmland, housing, and industry. Countries of the Amazon rain forest, such as Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador, are underdeveloped. Cutting down trees to make room for crops such as soy and corn benefits many poor farmers. These resources give them a reliable source of income and food. Children may be able to attend school, and families are able to afford better health care.

However, the destruction of rain forest ecosystems has its costs. Many modern medicines have been developed from rain forest plants. Curare, a muscle relaxant, and quinine, used to treat malaria, are just two of these medicines. Many scientists worry that destroying the rain forest ecosystem may prevent more medicines from being developed.

The rain forest ecosystems also make poor farmland. Unlike the rich soils of the Great Plains, where people destroyed the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, Amazon rain forest soil is thin and has few nutrients. Only a few seasons of crops may grow before all the nutrients are absorbed. The farmer or agribusiness must move on to the next patch of land, leaving an empty ecosystem behind.

Rebounding Ecosystems

Ecosystems can recover from destruction, however. The delicate coral reef ecosystems in the South Pacific are at risk due to rising ocean temperatures and decreased salinity. Corals bleach, or lose their bright colors, in water that is too warm. They die in water that isnt salty enough. Without the reef structure, the ecosystem collapses. Organisms such as algae, plants such as seagrass, and animals such as fish, snakes, and shrimp disappear.

Most coral reef ecosystems will bounce back from collapse. As ocean temperature cools and retains more salt, the brightly colored corals return. Slowly, they build reefs. Algae, plants, and animals also return.

Individual people, cultures, and governments are working to preserve ecosystems that are important to them. The government of Ecuador, for instance, recognizes ecosystem rights in the countrys constitution. The so-called Rights of Nature says Nature or [Earth], where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution. Every person, people, community or nationality, will be able to demand the recognitions of rights for nature before the public bodies. Ecuador is home not only to rain forest ecosystems, but also river ecosystems and the remarkable ecosystems on the Galapagos Islands.

Fast Fact

Bactrian and Dromedary
Different desert ecosystems support different species of camels. The dromedary camel is tall and fast, with long legs. It is native to the hot, dry deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The Bactrian camel has a thicker coat, is shorter, and has more body fat than the dromedary. The Bactrian camel is native to the cold desert steppes of Central Asia.

It is easy to tell the two types of camels apart: Dromedaries have one hump, Bactrians have two.

Fast Fact

Coral Triangle
The most diverse ecosystem in the world is the huge Coral Triangle in Southeast Asia. The Coral Triangle stretches from the Philippines in the north to the Solomon Islands in the east to the islands of Indonesia and Papua in the west.

Fast Fact

Ecocide
The destruction of entire ecosystems by human beings has been called ecocide, or murder of the environment.

Fast Fact

Human Ecosystem
"Human ecosystem" is the term scientists use to study the way people interact with their ecosystems. The study of human ecosystems considers geography, ecology, technology, economics, politics, and history. The study of urban ecosystems focuses on cities and suburbs.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Illustrators

Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society

Editors

Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing, Emdash Editing

Producer

National Geographic Society

other

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

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An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life.

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An ecosystem can be categorized into its abiotic constituents, including minerals, climate, soil, water, sunlight, and all other nonliving elements.

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Ecosystem, the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular unit of space.

Bryan and Cherry Alexander

A brief treatment of ecosystems follows. For full treatment, see biosphere.

An ecosystem can be categorized into its abiotic constituents, including minerals, climate, soil, water, sunlight, and all other nonliving elements, and its biotic constituents, consisting of all its living members. Linking these constituents together are two major forces: the flow of energy through the ecosystem, and the cycling of nutrients within the ecosystem.

The fundamental source of energy in almost all ecosystems is radiant energy from the Sun. The energy of sunlight is used by the ecosystem's autotrophic, or self-sustaining, organisms. Consisting largely of green vegetation, these organisms are capable of photosynthesis-i.e., they can use the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple, energy-rich carbohydrates. The autotrophs use the energy stored within the simple carbohydrates to produce the more complex organic compounds, such as proteins, lipids, and starches, that maintain the organisms' life processes. The autotrophic segment of the ecosystem is commonly referred to as the producer level.

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Follow the energy flow of a given ecosystem from the light-synthesizing autotrophs to the higher heterotrophs Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. See all videos for this article

Organic matter generated by autotrophs directly or indirectly sustains heterotrophic organisms. Heterotrophs are the consumers of the ecosystem; they cannot make their own food. They use, rearrange, and ultimately decompose the complex organic materials built up by the autotrophs. All animals and fungi are heterotrophs, as are most bacteria and many other microorganisms.

Together, the autotrophs and heterotrophs form various trophic (feeding) levels in the ecosystem: the producer level, composed of those organisms that make their own food; the primary consumer level, composed of those organisms that feed on producers; the secondary consumer level, composed of those organisms that feed on primary consumers; and so on. The movement of organic matter and energy from the producer level through various consumer levels makes up a food chain. For example, a typical food chain in a grassland might be grass (producer) → mouse (primary consumer) → snake (secondary consumer) → hawk (tertiary consumer). Actually, in many cases the food chains of the ecosystem overlap and interconnect, forming what ecologists call a food web. The final link in all food chains is made up of decomposers, those heterotrophs that break down dead organisms and organic wastes. A food chain in which the primary consumer feeds on living plants is called a grazing pathway; that in which the primary consumer feeds on dead plant matter is known as a detritus pathway. Both pathways are important in accounting for the energy budget of the ecosystem.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Adam Augustyn, Managing Editor, Reference Content.

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ecosystem | Definition, Components, Examples, Structure, & Facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ecosystem, the complex of living organisms, their physical environment, and all their interrelationships in a particular unit of space. An ecosystem can be categorized into its abiotic constituents, including minerals, climate, soil, water, and sunlight, and its biotic constituents, consisting of all living members.