Let us discuss the link between biodiversity, the loss of forests, and the rise of zoonotic viruses. A zoonotic virus is a virus that has been transmitted from a non-human animal to human beings. Examples include Ebola and the Covid-19 virus. Forest habitats are disappearing very quickly as time goes on thanks to human activities. Deforestation is a key example of the overall loss of biodiversity, and a mass extinction of species is now occurring that is caused by humans. This extinction is seeing unexpected (or should I say expected?) occurrences for human populations as well thanks to the rise in zoonotic virus pandemics. Right now, we are in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a virus that was originally transmitted by bats. Do you wonder why these two things are linked? The answer to that is- now that many species are going extinct thanks to deforestation and destruction of natural habitats, the species that do tend to survive this are species that host pathogens harmful to humans such as rats and bats. As rats and bats have lesser competition for resources thanks to the extinction of several of their predators and fellow competitors, they are thriving in these conditions. Therefore, there is a more likely chance that a human will come in contact with a pathogen infected rat or bat, and this leads to disastrous consequences such as pandemics. Ecologists have been predicting this for years, but unfortunately no one listened, and we are now suffering the consequences. Is this not enough notice to reduce our biodiversity destruction and save our planet?
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Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 