Habitat destruction

The vital organs of our planet

Forests, mountains, rivers, the ocean – these landscapes and seascapes provide us with food, medicine, water, oxygen, inspiration and sanctuary. They are also home to our planet’s unique abundance of wildlife.
Habitat destruction takes many forms: conversion for agriculture, urban expansion, extractive industries, and pollution from human activities all individually and collectively pose an enormous threat to the Earth’s biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people.

As wetlands are drained, limestone hills are quarried, forests are felled and seabeds dredged, ever-growing numbers of plants and animals are running out of suitable habitat. Habitat destruction can lead to the migration of animals as they are forced to seek new homes, where they can face even bigger threats to their survival: conflict with humans.