Tag: sustainability

New Zealand’s Rapidly Deteriorating Marine Environment

A Submission to the New Zealand Parliament’s Select Committee on a proposed Amendment to the NZ Fisheries Bill.

Concerns Regarding the Fisheries Amendment Bill,  and Recommendations for Sustainable Fisheries Management.

Introduction

The New Zealand Government, through Fisheries Minister Shane Jones, frames the Fisheries Amendment Bill  as an ‘efficiency and productivity’ exercise—cutting red tape, giving industry “certainty,” and boosting seafood export value.

In reality, the Bill represents a systematic dismantling of safeguards at precisely the moment they are most needed.

Key concerns include:

  1. The completely inadequate timescale for consultation on  an issue that  is vital to New Zealanders and our marine world.
  2. Concentration of power:  The Minister gains greater authority to set catch limits independent of scientific advice, with the ability to rely on industry self-reported data rather than robust independent assessment.
  3. Erosion of oversight:   On-board camera footage—recently proven effective at exposing massive under-reporting of discards—would be exempt from the Official Information Act, with fines up to \$50,000 for sharing footage. The Minister can also allow operators to switch cameras off.
  4. Reduced accountability:   Legal challenges to fisheries decisions would be restricted to a 20-working day window, severely limiting judicial review that has historically held Ministers accountable to the Act’s sustainability purpose.
  5. Weakened environmental protections:   The Bill introduces more flexible, longer-term (up to 5-year) catch limits with minimal review, reduces penalties for exceeding catch limits and taking undersized fish, and effectively incentivizes destructive bottom trawling over cleaner methods.
  6. Privatization of a public resource:   Quota owners would gain ability to stockpile entitlements and delay catch reductions even when stocks are depleted, shifting the burden of ecological degradation onto the public while profits are exported—seafood exports average under \$6/kg, little of which benefits domestic consumers.

This proposed amendment occurs against a backdrop of well documented dramatic ecological marine decline. The Ministry for the Environment’s  ‘Our Marine Environment 2025’  report and other official data, note the following negative impacts:

Overfishing:   12% of assessed fish stocks (19 of 152) are over-fished or depleted, with 5 stocks collapsed. Bycatch continues to kill protected species—15 Hector’s dolphins in 2023/24 alone, thousands of seabirds annually, and tonnes of protected coral.

Ocean warming:   Sea-surface temperatures around New Zealand have risen 0.16–0.34°C per decade since 1982, warming faster than the global average. Marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense and longer-lasting, with 2022 setting records causing both  marine species loss and shifting of migratory patterns

Acidification:   Ocean acidity has increased ~30% since 1750, with measurable increases off Otago. This threatens shell-forming species and disrupts food webs negatively impacting fish  nutrition.

Sea level rise:   Accelerating coastal inundation and erosion, compounded by vertical land movement in some areas, resulting in the elimination or reduction of many fish  breeding grounds.

Invasive species and habitat destruction:   428 non-native marine species have been identified in NZ waters, with outbreaks like  Caulerpa  algae spreading across 1,500+ hectares. Bottom trawling continues to bulldoze seafloor habitats.

Extinction risk:  More than half of indigenous marine invertebrate species are threatened or at risk.

Bottom Trawling: The long-term impacts of bottom trawling in New Zealand and the Southern Pacific represent a systematic  and catastrophic degradation of irreplaceable deep-sea ecosystems.  The combination of extreme physical destruction, centuries long destruction of marine habitats and in many cases irretrievable loss, and climate feedback effects is resulting in  permanent biodiversity loss.  Scientific  evidence confirms that protecting climate refugia and  high-vulnerability habitats—particularly seamounts—is essential to  prevent ecosystem collapse and maintain long-term fisheries  productivity, yet current management trends are moving in the opposite  direction.

This  Bill treats fisheries primarily as an export industry to be deregulated, while official reports confirm the marine environment is under compounding pressures from climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution. The timing is particularly damaging given that camera data revealed a 1,000%+ increase in reported snapper discards and 950% increase in kingfish discards once monitoring began—proof that the industry cannot be relied upon to self-regulate.

The Bill weakens transparency, scientific oversight, and public participation at the exact moment when marine ecosystems require stronger precautionary management and climate-resilient planning. Thus these ‘reforms’ do not represent “modernization”—they represent a privatization agenda that  locks in irreversible ecological damage for short-term commercial gain.

Key Concerns and Proposed Alternatives

1. Tiered Information Framework for Setting Catch Limits (Low-Information Stocks)

The Bill proposes a tiered framework for setting Total Allowable Catch (TAC), where for low-information stocks, the TAC only needs to be ‘not inconsistent’ with the objective of managing the stock at or above Maximum Sustainable Yield. This approach risks over-fishing and depletion of vulnerable or data-poor fish stocks, as management decisions are unable to be based on robust scientific evidence.

This could lead to the plundering of unknown stocks, with potentially irreversible ecological consequences.

Recommendation: The Precautionary Principle  be applied to all data-poor stocks. Instead of allowing higher catch limits, management should default to significantly lower, more conservative catch limits until robust scientific data is available to demonstrate sustainability. Any increases in catch limits should only occur when supported by comprehensive and peer-reviewed scientific assessments.

2. Multi-Year Catch Decisions

The Bill allows the Minister to set TACs for up to five consecutive fishing years . While the stated purposes is  to provide certainty for the industry, this provision introduces reduced flexibility to respond to rapid environmental changes, climate impacts, or unforeseen declines in fish populations. Such extended decision cycles could delay necessary adjustments to protect struggling stocks, potentially leading to collapses that are difficult to reverse.

Recommendation: We recommend implementing Adaptive Management with Frequent Reviews. Catch limits, especially for stocks vulnerable to environmental shifts or those showing signs of stress, should be reviewed annually or more frequently. Decision-making processes must incorporate real-time data and ecosystem indicators to ensure timely and effective responses to changing marine conditions.

3. Relaxed Rules on Discards and Returns

The Bill creates new circumstances under which commercial fishers are permitted to return or abandon fish or other aquatic animals . This relaxation of rules risks increasing the mortality of non-target species (by-catch) and juvenile fish, which are often discarded. This practice not only wastes marine resources but also masks the true impact of fishing on marine ecosystems and hinders accurate stock assessments, making effective management impossible [3].

Recommendation: We call for Mandatory By-catch Reduction and Full Accountability. The government should mandate the widespread use of best- practice by-catch mitigation technologies (e.g., seabird scaring devices, turtle excluder devices, selective fishing gear). In addition, all caught fish, regardless of size or species, must be landed and fully accounted for to ensure accurate data collection, minimize waste, and provide a true picture of fishing impacts [.

4. Confidentiality of Camera Footage

The Bill proposes new provisions that explicitly exclude on-board camera recordings from the Official Information Act 1982 and impose significant penalties for unauthorized release. There appears to be no valid reason for this change, other than  to decrease  public scrutiny of illegal  activities.

This measure represents a substantial reduction in transparency and public accountability of commercial fishing operations. It prevents independent verification of fishing practices, by-catch events, and compliance with regulations, increasing distrust among the public and environmental stakeholders at a time when  all  parties need to be working more collaboratively.

Recommendation: We urge the Committee to ensure Full Transparency and Public Access to on-board camera footage. While noting some issues around commercial sensitivity, this footage should be accessible under the Official Information Act, with redactions only occurring where absolutely necessary. Public oversight is crucial for building trust in the monitoring system and ensuring that fishing practices align with sustainability goals.

5. Revised Judicial Review Window

The Bill introduces a significantly shortened timeframe for challenging fisheries management decisions, requiring any legal challenge to be made within 20 working days of the decision being notified. This extremely short window severely weakens legal safeguards for environmental protection and public participation, making it nearly impossible for environmental organizations and the public to mount effective legal challenges against potentially unsustainable decisions.

Recommendation: We advocate for reasonable  and appropriate Judicial Review timeframes. It is essential to maintain adequate timeframes for judicial review, allowing sufficient time for legal preparation and ensuring that decisions can be properly scrutinized fortheir environmental impact and adherence to legal and scientific requirements.

6. Risks and Opportunities Related to Bottom Trawling

Bottom trawling is widely scientifically recognized for its devastating environmental impacts, including habitat destruction, by-catch, and disruption of marine ecosystems.

The Fisheries Amendment Bill, in not explicitly addressing bottom trawling with the proposed  new regulations, creates an environment where bottom  trawling and its devastating impacts on  the marine environment and fish  stocks, will  continue and could even incentivize this incredibly destructive practice through  the relaxation of camera footage processes and by-catch  rules.

New Zealand is:

  • The only country in the South Pacific that still allows bottom trawling on seamounts
  • The only country whose vessels have bottom trawled in the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) regulatory area since 2019.
  • One of only seven countries still conducting bottom trawling in international waters

Recommendation: We urge the Committee to incorporate specific measures to address bottom trawling. These should include:

  • Ban all bottom trawling by New Zealand fishing companies in the medium and long  term.
  • In the short term ban Bottom Trawling on Seamounts and Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs): Explicitly prohibit bottom-contact gear on seamounts and other identified VMEs to protect unique and fragile deep-sea habitats
  • Provide regulatory or financial incentives for fishers to transition to long-lining, potting, or other low-impact methods that minimize seabed disturbance and by-catch.
  • Mandatory Habitat Impact Assessments: Require comprehensive environmental impact assessments (EIAs) specifically for bottom trawling activities before any multi-year catch limits are set or renewed.
  • Public Transparency of Trawl Impacts: Ensure public access to camera footage of trawling operations to maintain transparency and accountability.
  • Spatial Closures for Recovery: Utilize management procedures to establish and enforce no-trawl zones in areas identified as critical habitats or those requiring ecological recovery.

7. Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries Management

Concern: New Zealand’s marine environment is rapidly  experiencing significant impacts from climate change, including rising sea temperatures, marine heatwaves, and shifting fish distributions.

The current Bill, with its emphasis on multi- year catch decisions and a tiered information framework that can be permissive for data-poor stocks, is ill-equipped to respond to the rapid and unpredictable changes driven by climate change. This lack of adaptive capacity risks exacerbating the vulnerability of fish stocks and marine ecosystems].

Recommendation: The Fisheries Amendment Bill must explicitly integrate climate change considerations into its core framework. This includes:

• Climate-Adaptive Catch Limits: Mandate that all catch limit decisions (TAC/TACC) explicitly account for climate change projections, marine heatwave data, and observed shifts in fish populations.

• Shorten Review Cycles for Vulnerable Stocks: Require annual or more frequent reviews for stocks identified as climate-vulnerable or those showing significant range shifts, moving away from rigid multi-year decisions.

• Protect Climate Refugia: Prohibit destructive fishing methods, such as bottom trawling, in areas that serve as thermal refuges or critical habitats for species displaced by warming waters.

• Dynamic Management Areas: Develop mechanisms to adjust management boundaries quickly as fish stocks shift their geographic ranges, ensuring that newly arrived or displaced stocks are not over-exploited due to outdated management zones.

Conclusion

The New Zealand Fisheries Amendment Bill, in its current form, contains provisions that threaten the short,  medium  and long-term  health and sustainability of New Zealand’s marine environment.

We believe that a truly sustainable and prosperous seafood sector depends on robust environmental protection, scientific integrity, and public trust.

We respectfully request the Committee to give due consideration to these concerns and recommendations.

When the Last Tree Falls

The vital importance of humans connecting to nature: for themselves and for the planet

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
—John Muir

Muir’s century-old observation now reads like a medical prescription. A growing body of research shows that regular contact with living, biodiverse ecosystems is a non-negotiable pillar of human health—and the fastest way to make people care about the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

This post unpacks (1) what happens to our bodies and minds when we lose everyday nature, (2) how collapsing ecosystems ricochet back on us, and (3) the personal and collective actions that turn concern into meaningful response.

As the world’s rapidly expanding human population increasingly no longer lives in proximity to our living world- but instead is surrounded by concrete, tar and walled environments, and enclosed within self-defined technological walls of social media, AI and self-selected ‘entertainment’, we are losing both our vital connection with the rest of the natural world we are intrinsically part of, along with our unconscious understanding of its importance to us.

In doing so, we become less and less aware how the natural world is shrinking inexorably year by year, decade by decade, day by day, and what that means for both ourselves and our world, in terms of our wellbeing and our very survival.

Each new generation of humans normalise a poorer natural baseline, lowering conservation ambition and stabilising acceptance of biodiversity loss as the ‘norm’. Along with those changes of what is ‘naturally normal’, cultural definitions of ‘nature’ shift over time ( e.g. Wordsworth’s early 19th century poems vs. today’s TikTok hiking videos).

Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water is in problematic supply.

As climate extremes intensify with climate change, the impacts of both floods and droughts are magnified from loss of tree cover.

The 30-Minute Cure: How Daily Green & Blue (aquatic)Time Rewires Us

DomainEvidence-Based Benefits of Frequent Nature Contact
PhysicalLower cortisol, heart-rate variability, blood pressure; stronger immunity (natural killer-cell activity up 50 % after a 3-day forest trip) .
MentalReduced risk of depression, anxiety and ADHD; restored “directed attention” capacity (Attention Restoration Theory) .
SocialHigher empathy, pro-social behavior, lower crime rates in neighborhoods with tree cover .
Spiritual / CulturalSense of identity and belonging, especially for Indigenous and rural communities tied to specific species and landscapes .

Dose–response sweet spot: Two hours per week in green or blue spaces (parks, coastlines, riverbanks) delivers optimal well-being gains .

The Flip Side: Nature-Deficit Disorder

When that contact disappears, we see the inverse—rising obesity, Type-2 diabetes, myopia in children, loneliness, and eco-anxiety. Urban populations already spend 90 % of their time indoors; in lower-income areas, unequal access to safe nature is a new axis of health inequity. Little data is available on the impact of nature deprivation in the Global South.

In countries where daily life is entangled with nature (smallholder farming, forest reliance), disconnection manifests differently—often as loss of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) rather than park visits.

What Biodiversity Loss Actually Costs Us

Biodiversity is the planet’s operating system. Every lost species is a deleted line of code.

Every living thing: every individual fish, every insect, every bird every mammal, has its own intrinsic worth. Its ‘value’ is simply in its existence.

A. Health & Medicine

  • 70 % of anti-cancer drugs are natural or bio-inspired; 60 % of all new infectious diseases are zoonotic and surge when habitat edges fragment .
  • Traditional medicine—used by 80 % of people in developing countries—depends on intact ecosystems .

B. Food & Water Security

  • Pollinator decline already threatens crops worth US $235 billion annually .
  • Wetlands loss (35 % since 1970) has left >2 billion people with declining water quality and rising water-borne disease .

C. Climate Stability

  • Forests, peatlands and mangroves store more carbon than all human emissions from 2009–2018 combined. When biodiversity unravels, these sinks flip to sources, accelerating extreme weather that in turn wipes out more species .

D. Positive Impacts of Human Skin Contact with Soil

Regular, safe skin contact with biodiverse, uncontaminated soil—gardening, barefoot walking, forest play etc, rewilds the human microbiome, trains the immune system and supports mental well-being.

1. Immune-System Maturation
Finnish daycare study: children playing on forest-floor (soil-rich) yards had more diverse skin & gut microbiota and stronger immune regulation two years later. Nature 2024
2. Anti-inflammatory Response
Urban adults handling microbially-rich indoor potting soil for one month showed ↑ plasma IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokine) and ↑ skin bacterial diversity (Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, etc.). Environment International 2024
3. Immediate Skin Microbiome Boost
Just two minutes of rubbing hands with soil & plant materials produced an instant increase in skin microbial richness (Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, etc.) that lasted several hours. Frontiers 2025
4. Gut Microbiome Support
Mice exposed to non-sterile soil developed higher gut microbial diversity than those on sterile soil, indicating that dermal/oral transfer of soil microbes reaches the intestine. NIH PMC 2019
5. Vaccine Response Enhancement
Adults with daily soil-moss skin contact mounted stronger cell-mediated responses to pneumococcal vaccine (higher IFN-γ, IL-17), suggesting soil exposure can improve vaccine efficacy.
Nature 2024
6. Mental-Health & Stress Reduction
Soil bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae triggers anti-neuroinflammatory pathways, lowers stress hormones and may improve mood via the gut-brain axis. New York Times 2024

E. Mental & Cultural Resilience

  • Coastal or forest communities displaced by fires, floods or coral bleaching lose livelihoods and ancestral stories, triggering inter-generational trauma .

Turning Contact into Commitment: The Feedback Loop That Matters

Every exposure to a thriving wild patch biophilically primes the brain. Here’s how to restore that effect:

Personal Practice

  1. Micro-dose daily: 10 minutes of exposure to tree canopy or moving water (even street trees count).
  2. Citizen science: Log birds, insects or plants on iNaturalist—data that feeds real conservation maps.
  3. Nature journaling: Sketching or photographing a leaf or shell deepens attention and memory encoding.

Community Action

  • Green prescriptions: Doctors in the U.K., New Zealand and Japan now write “green prescriptions” alongside statins . National pilots of green prescriptions in Scotland (2021) and Canada (2022).
  • Schoolyard biodiversity: Converting asphalt to mini-forests improves test scores and doubles local insect diversity within three years .
  • Urban rewilding: Pocket meadows, living walls and daylighted streams cool cities, cut AC demand and give residents daily wildlife encounters. Barcelona’s “Green Axes” programme is a great initiative.
  • Biodiverse botanic parks where people of all ages and ability can explore and learn about our natural green world.
  • Plant native trees in your own backyard- replace that lawn you mow!

Policy & Economy

Why the biodiversity decline matters for climate action

PathwayMechanismEvidence
Environmental behaviourHigher NCI (Nature Connection Index) predicts pro-environmental choices (diet, transport, donations).Martin et al., 2020, J. Environ. Psychol.
Biophilic policy supportIndividuals with strong nature connection are 2× more likely to back ambitious conservation funding.Mackay & Schmitt, 2019, Conserv. Lett.
Psychological resilienceNature connection buffers eco-anxiety; enables sustained activism.Whitburn et al., 2020, Climatic Change
Feedback loopShifting baseline syndrome: each generation normalises a poorer natural baseline, lowering conservation ambition.Papworth et al., 2009, Trends Ecol. Evol.

A Thought Experiment

Imagine the last dawn chorus on Earth: no birds, no insects, just human-made noise.
Now rewind the tape. Plant one native tree outside your window this month. Spend 30 undistracted minutes beside it each week. Listen.

Your nervous system will notice the difference within days.
Your neurons will start lobbying your choices.
And the planet will register one more caretaker.

When we experience how nature heals us, we finally understand that healing nature is self-defense.

References

Richardson, M., Dobson, J., Abson, D. J., Lumber, R., Hunt, A., & Young, R. (2020) Nature connectedness in decline: Evidence from 5000 English adults 2013-2019. People and Nature, 2(3), 821–835. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10146

Richardson, M., Hunt, A., Hinds, J., Bragg, R., Fido, D., Petronzi, D., … & White, M. P. (2019) A measure of nature connectedness for children and adults: Validation, reliability and associations with well-being. PLoS ONE, 14(7), e0218641. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218641

7 Consequences of Biodiversity Loss for Humans: gaiacompany.io.

WWF: How does Biodiversity loss affect me and everyone else? Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water is in irregular

Royal Society: What is the human impact on biodiversity? How do humans affect biodiversity? · Deforestation. · Habitat loss through pervasive, incremental encroachment such as that caused by urban sprawl.

thrivabilitymatters.org 2023/04/14: How do humans affect biodiversity? The Importance Of Contact With Nature For Well-Being. Spending time in nature, or mingling with a natural element has tremendous effects on physical, mental, social and spiritual wellness.

United Nations Foundation 2023/05/18: How Biodiversity Loss Harms Human Health. A higher risk of infectious outbreaks is just one of the many repercussions of biodiversity loss on human health.

Biodiversity loss can have significant direct health impacts if ecosystem services no longer meet societal needs.

World Health Organization (WHO) 2023/10/12: Climate change is directly contributing to humanitarian emergencies from heatwaves, wildfires, floods, tropical storms and hurricanes.

Mental Health Foundation(U.K.): How connecting with nature benefits our mental health. Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile.

US EPA impacts to human health: Climate Change; City of Chicago: Overview – Temperature Impacts – Air Quality Impacts – Extreme Events – Vector-borne Diseases – Water-Related Illnesses – Food Safety and Nutrition – Mental Health – Populations of Concern – Other Health Impacts.

American Psychological Association 2020/04/01: Nurtured by nature. Exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, & reduced risk of psychiatric disorders.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Climate Change and Human Health | US EPA: This includes increasing the risk of extreme heat events and heavy storms, increasing the risk of asthma attacks and changing the spread of certain diseases .

LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY: THE BURGEONING THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH: O Adebayo · 2019 · Mencionado — the loss of biological biodiversity appears to affect significantly human health.

Impact of Contact With Nature on the Wellbeing and Nature Connectedness Indicators After a Desertic Outdoor Experience on Isla Del Tiburon by G Garza-Terán · 2022 · Cited by 23 — Results show that both wellbeing and Nature Connectedness are positively influenced by performing activities out in the natural environment.nih.gov2024/05/24

Climate change impacts on health across the life course: The climate crisis results in new disorders such as eco-anxiety and solastalgia. Older people also experience adverse brain effects

Effects of Climate Change on Health – CDC: The health effects of these disruptions include increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease, injuries and premature deaths related to extreme weather .

UC Davis Health2023/05/03: 3 ways getting outside into nature helps improve your health. Research continues to show that being outside and experiencing nature can improve our mental health and increase our ability to focus.

Arizona Health Sciences2023/04/03: A look at the cost of climate change on human health. The evidence is clear – climate change is having a negative effect on our physical and mental health.

ScienceDirect: Natural environments improve parent-child communication by T Cameron-Faulkner · 2018 · Cited by 84 — In this study, natural environments influenced social interactions between parents and children by increasing connected, responsive communication.

The global human impact on biodiversity F Keck · 2025 · Mencionado por 37 — We show that human pressures distinctly shift community composition and decrease local diversity across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Benefits for emotional regulation of contact with nature by ML Ríos-Rodríguez · 2024 · Cited by 15 — Exposure to natural environments, such as parks, forests, and green areas, is often linked to a decrease in stress, anxiety and depression.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Climate change impacts –

Climate change impacts our society in many different ways. Drought can harm food production and human health. Flooding can lead to spread of disease, death, …

Universidad Veracruzana: Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity. The impacts of diversity loss on ecological processes might be sufficiently large to rival the impacts of many other global drivers of environmental change.

Friends of the Earth2020/09/23Importance of nature. For children and adults alike, daily contact with nature is linked to better health, less stress, better mood, reduced obesity – an amazing list ..

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Change Impacts on Health | US EPA Climate change can disrupt access to health care services, threaten infrastructure, and pose physical and mental health risks.

United Nations: Five ways the climate crisis impacts human security

United Nations University2024/05/16: Understanding Humanity’s Role in Biodiversity Loss Losing species threatens our well-being. As we lose species, our ecosystems also lose genetic diversity.

Science Mission Directorate2024/10/23: The Causes of Climate Change – NASA Science. The greenhouse effect is essential to life on Earth, but human-made emissions in the atmosphere are trapping and slowing heat loss to space.

ScienceDirect: Modelling human influences on biodiversity at a global scale–A human ecology perspective M Cepic · 2022 · Mencionado — Globalised human interventions cause most biodiversity losses.

gaiacompany.io

7 Consequences of Biodiversity Loss for Humans – Gaia

1. Food Insecurity · 2. Health Impacts · 3. Loss of Medicinal Resources · 4. Reduced Ecosystem Services · 5. Economic Losses · 6. Climate Instability.WWFHow does Biodiversity loss affect me and everyone else?Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water is in irregular …Royal SocietyWhat is the human impact on biodiversity?How do humans affect biodiversity? · Deforestation. · Habitat loss through pervasive, incremental encroachment such as that caused by urban sprawl · Pollution such …thrivabilitymatters.org2023/04/14The Importance Of Contact With Nature For Well-BeingSpending time in nature, or mingling with a natural element has tremendous effects on physical, mental, social and spiritual wellness.United Nations Foundation2023/05/18How Biodiversity Loss Harms Human HealthA higher risk of infectious outbreaks is just one of the many repercussions of biodiversity loss on human health. By disrupting the delicate …WHO2025/02/18BiodiversityBiodiversity loss can have significant direct health impacts if ecosystem services no longer meet societal needs. Changes in ecosystems can …WHO2023/10/12Climate change – World Health Organization (WHO)Climate change is directly contributing to humanitarian emergencies from heatwaves, wildfires, floods, tropical storms and hurricanes and …Mental Health FoundationNature: How connecting with nature benefits our mental healthResearch shows that people who are more connected with nature are usually happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile.US EPAimpacts to human health – Climate Change – City of ChicagoOn This Page: – Overview – Temperature Impacts – Air Quality Impacts – Extreme Events – Vectorborne Diseases – Water-Related Illnesses – Food Safety and Nutrition – Mental Health – Populations of Concern – Other Health Impacts — Overview The impacts of climate change include warming temperatures, changes in precipitation, increases in the frequency or intensity of some extreme weather events, and rising sea levels. These impacts threaten our health by affecting the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the weather we experience. The severity of these health risks will depend on the ability of public health and safety systems to address or prepare for these changing threats, as well as factors such as an individual’s behavior, age, gender, and economic status. Impacts will vary based on a where a person lives, how sensitive they are to health threats, how much they are exposed to climate change impacts, and how well they andAmerican Psychological Association2020/04/01Nurtured by natureExposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and …U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyClimate Change and Human Health | US EPAThis includes increasing the risk of extreme heat events and heavy storms, increasing the risk of asthma attacks and changing the spread of certain diseases …nih.govLOSS OF BIODIVERSITY: THE BURGEONING THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTHpor O Adebayo · 2019 · Mencionado por 28 — While the loss of biological biodiversity appears to affect significantly human health, it has also been opined to be a significant threat to the attainment of …nih.govImpact of Contact With Nature on the Wellbeing and Nature Connectedness Indicators After a Desertic Outdoor Experience on Isla Del Tiburonby G Garza-Terán · 2022 · Cited by 23 — Results show that both wellbeing and Nature Connectedness are positively influenced by performing activities out in the natural environment.nih.gov2024/05/24Climate change impacts on health across the life course – PMCThe climate crisis results in new disorders such as eco-anxiety and solastalgia. Older people also experience adverse brain effects from the …CDC2024/02/29Effects of Climate Change on Health – CDCThe health effects of these disruptions include increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease, injuries and premature deaths related to extreme weather …UC Davis Health2023/05/033 ways getting outside into nature helps improve your healthResearch continues to show that being outside and experiencing nature can improve our mental health and increase our ability to focus.UArizona Health Sciences2023/04/03A look at the cost of climate change on human healthThe evidence is clear – climate change is having a negative effect on our physical and mental health. The scale of the impact is vast, with …ScienceDirectNatural environments improve parent-child communicationby T Cameron-Faulkner · 2018 · Cited by 84 — In this study, natural environments influenced social interactions between parents and children by increasing connected, responsive communication. These …NatureThe global human impact on biodiversitypor F Keck · 2025 · Mencionado por 37 — We show that human pressures distinctly shift community composition and decrease local diversity across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.nih.govBenefits for emotional regulation of contact with natureby ML Ríos-Rodríguez · 2024 · Cited by 15 — Exposure to natural environments, such as parks, forests, and green areas, is often linked to a decrease in stress, anxiety and depression.National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationClimate change impacts – NOAAClimate change impacts our society in many different ways. Drought can harm food production and human health. Flooding can lead to spread of disease, death, …Universidad VeracruzanaBiodiversity loss and its impact on humanity. Nature PDFThe impacts of diversity loss on ecological processes might be sufficiently large to rival the impacts of many other global drivers of environmental change.Friends of the Earth2020/09/23Importance of natureFor children and adults alike, daily contact with nature is linked to better health, less stress, better mood, reduced obesity – an amazing list …U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyClimate Change Impacts on Health | US EPAClimate change can disrupt access to health care services, threaten infrastructure, and pose physical and mental health risks.Naciones UnidasFive ways the climate crisis impacts human security | United Nations1. Climate change intensifies competition over land and water · 2. Climate change affects food production and drives up hunger · 3. Climate change forces people …United Nations University2024/05/16Understanding Humanity’s Role in Biodiversity LossLosing species threatens our well-being. As we lose species, our ecosystems also lose genetic diversity. This often negatively impacts the …Science Mission Directorate2024/10/23The Causes of Climate Change – NASA ScienceThe greenhouse effect is essential to life on Earth, but human-made emissions in the atmosphere are trapping and slowing heat loss to space.ScienceDirectModelling human influences on biodiversity at a global scale–A human ecology perspectivepor M Cepic · 2022 · Mencionado por 62 — Globalised human interventions cause most biodiversity losses.

The Great Acceleration….

Our current epoch has now come to be known as the ‘Anthropocene’  for the impacts man has had on our planetary environment. It is also called “The Great Acceleration..”;  being the sixth  event in the life of this  planet  where species loss has become so pervasive and devastating.

A May 2017 study for the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America was entitled “Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines”.  The paper notes in conclusion that: “The massive loss of populations is already damaging the services ecosystems provide to (human) civilization…Thus, we emphasize that the sixth mass extinction is already here and the window for effective action is very short, probably two or three decades at most.. All signs point to ever more powerful assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades, painting a dismal picture of the future of life, including human life. .” In other words, without the survival of significant complex bio-systems of multiple species, each with sustainable population numbers, humans too are rapidly headed towards extinction.

While  we talk  (and talk) about global  warming, what we also ignore is the combined impacts of  man-made emissions into the atmosphere  with the steady  destruction of the biosphere  through human “progress’  –   the literal cancer of inert dead non-organic edifices being  built  over the top and at the expense  of  the natural  world that make up  humans’  cities and towns  and transportation systems,  agribusiness destroying countless wilderness  areas into  single species ‘dead’  environments, the ongoing deforestation of native habitats, increasing  wildfires, needless human consumption,  acidification and over-fishing of the oceans, human over-population,  meat-production, war,   pollution, global  warming, water-loss ..  the list goes on  and on…  Incrementally, humans are destroying the liveability for all species on the planet at an ever increasing rate, with carbon monoxide production being just one aspect of our ongoing destruction of this planet.

Wikileaks notes: At present, the rate of extinction of species is estimated at 100 to 1,000 times higher than the “base” or historically typical rate of extinction (in terms of the natural evolution of the planet)[14][15][16] and also the current rate of extinction is, therefore, 10 to 100 times higher than any of the previous mass extinctions in the history of Earth.

What is urgently needed is a recognition of this fact by humans, and an understanding that the model of human’ progress’ we have espoused for the past few thousand years is killing our planet. An understanding that all life- regardless of species, is inherently sacred and our  mutual survival is intertwined, and that  consequently  human ‘needs’  must be balanced against  the rights of other species. One small step to delay or even possibly reverse this destruction,  is the urgent massive scale planting of native vegetation in every possible locality and an end to our model of human  “progress”.

Links

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/07/05/1704949114.full

Supporting appendix to  Biological annihilation via the ongoing sixth mass extinction signaled by vertebrate population losses and declines

http://gas2.org/2017/07/16/scientists-say-sixth-mass-extinction-way/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction