Biological Resource Use

Biological resource use includes activities like hunting, fishing, logging, and plant harvesting for food, medicine, fuel, and trade. While these practices are vital for human livelihoods, unsustainable levels of biological resource use are a major threat to biodiversity. These activities disrupt ecosystems, deplete populations of targeted species, and alter ecological dynamics, leading to long-term impacts on global biodiversity.

Hunting and Poaching

Overexploitation of wildlife for meat, trophies, traditional medicine, and the pet trade significantly threatens species survival. In regions where bushmeat is a primary protein source, excessive hunting has decimated populations of large mammals like elephants, apes, and antelope. Poaching for high-value items such as ivory, rhino horn, and pangolin scales fuels illegal wildlife trade, further endangering iconic species.

The unsustainable hunting of predators, often in response to human-wildlife conflict, disrupts food chains, leading to overpopulation of prey species and subsequent vegetation loss. Smaller species, such as amphibians, reptiles, and birds, are also heavily affected due to overharvesting for pet markets.

Fishing and Overexploitation of Marine Resources

Industrial-scale fishing and unsustainable practices, such as bottom trawling, have led to the collapse of fish stocks and disrupted marine ecosystems. Species like tuna, cod, and sharks have experienced severe population declines, pushing many toward extinction. Bycatch of non-target species, including sea turtles, dolphins, and seabirds, worsens the impact on biodiversity. The use of destructive fishing gear damages coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other critical habitats. Overfishing also disrupts marine ecosystems, reducing the abundance of key species and making ecosystems less resilient to change.

Logging and Timber Harvesting

Unsustainable logging, particularly in tropical forests, results in habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation. Selective logging can disrupt ecosystem functions, such as seed dispersal, pollination, and carbon storage, by removing specific tree species. Illegal logging exacerbates biodiversity loss by targeting high-value species and undermining sustainable forestry efforts. Deforestation for timber is often accompanied by agricultural expansion, further compounding its impact on ecosystems.

Harvesting of Wild Plants

Unsustainable harvesting of wild plants for medicinal, ornamental, or culinary purposes threatens many species. Overcollection of herbs like ginseng and orchids has pushed some species to the brink of extinction. Large-scale extraction of non-timber forest products, such as palm leaves, affects species that rely on these plants for food and shelter.

Indirect Effects on Ecosystems

The overuse of biological resources disrupts ecosystem services like pollination, water filtration, and climate regulation. For example, the decline of large predators due to hunting can lead to trophic cascades, where changes at the top of the food chain alter vegetation patterns and nutrient cycles. Unsustainable resource use often disproportionately targets specific species, reducing genetic diversity and increasing ecosystems' vulnerability to climate change and disease.