Sustainable Pathways: Nurturing Biodiversity for a Resilient Future
Creators: name: Mazhar Iqbal, Mahnoor
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Biodiversity
subject: Climate Change
subject: Future Climate

description: Climate change is a global issue. Along with other sectors, it has great impact on the loss of biodiversity. The complex web of life made up of millions of species, known as biodiversity, is what keeps ecosystems healthy and supports human life. Biodiversity is important economically, environmentally and culturally. This delicate equilibrium is, however, coming under more and more pressure. The parent article investigate how climate change is contributing towards biodiversity loss by taking data from 115 countries. From the perspective of climate change, changes in temperature, precipitation changes and number of natural disaster occurrence are contributing in the loss of biodiversity. This loss is not limited towards a single group, it is effecting birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, mollusks, mammals and plants equally. 

We’ll also discuss how economic condition and governance plays his role towards the conservation and loss of biodiversity. Although economic development is always linked with environmental degradation, but we can mitigate this trend by good governance practices. Good governance practices include control in corruption and rule of law. We have to find the ways in which the biodiversity crisis might be addressed by coordinating governance frameworks, economic strategies, and environmental conservation efforts. 

We’ll check those factors which are responsible for biodiversity loss. We will explore the interactions between climate change indicators, such as temperature and precipitation, and their direct and indirect impacts on various species. We will explore how government can help to reduce biodiversity loss and help to conserve it. This extension article aims to understand the biodiversity loss and mitigate those factors which are responsible for its loss. 

Climate Change and Its Impact on Biodiversity:

Due to the climate change i-e Change in temperature and precipitation levels biodiversity loss has increased. Since the emission of greenhouse gases is increased due to anthropogenic activities it has increased the temperature of the earth and some species are vulnerable to this increase in temperature. This shift in change in temperature and precipitation patterns disrupt natural cycles like migration, flowering or breeding. This changing climate forces the species to move into a new habitat which causes their extinction. Moreover, the glaciers ale melting, ice sheet is thinning make the life of polar animals difficult because they are losing their habitat and food availability. So the increase in temperature also make the life of polar animals difficult. The rise in global temperatures has been linked to habitat loss, altered migration patterns, and the disruption of breeding cycles, particularly affecting amphibians, birds, and mammals. When the level of precipitation will change some species will not survive and this may lead to the extinction of these species groups. Precipitation changes, both excesses and deficits, have led to habitat degradation, affecting plant species and, by extension, the entire ecosystem reliant on them. Natural disasters, growing in frequency due to climate change, have immediate and catastrophic effects on biodiversity, wiping out vulnerable species and destroying habitats. Many species which are already threatened; climate change is exacerbates existing pressure and pushing some species to extinction. Rising in CO2 level is increasing acidity in oceans which has a great impact on marine life like it is leading towards the bleaching of coral reefs and death of shellfish.  

Economic Development:                                                                                                             

There is always a complex relationship between economic development and environmental degradation. Different factories and release of different chemical substances from them, conversion of fertile land into housing societies, loss of habitat due to deforestation and emission of greenhouse gases has a great contribution in the loss of biodiversity. Habitat destruction and overexploitation of resources are those activities which are causing major harm to biodiversity, ecosystem degradation and species decline. But with good governance we can mitigate the loss of biodiversity even with economic development. Good governance include rule of law and control in corruption which are very helpful to minimize the loss of biodiversity. Moreover, governance can influence the allocation of resources for conservation projects and shape public policies to address climate change. With good governance practices we can grow those species in numbers which are near extinction and can help to conserve them. We should value ecosystem services in economic development decisions and implement those policies and regulations that protect species and ecosystem. In Pakistan we can built reservoirs, parks which will help to conserve these species.  We should support conservation efforts and protected areas.

Strategies for Conservation and Sustainable Development:

There must be some strategies for a nation to adopt while pursuing economic development to mitigate the loss of biodiversity. Through different strategies we can mitigate the effect of changing climate on biodiversity even with good economic condition. These strategies include restoration of our community and by getting natural solutions of our problems. We have to increase the number of protected areas, natural parks and wildlife reserves so we can protect biodiversity and increase the number of endangered species. We have to invest in green projects which are sustainable and conserve our environment. We have to provide clean air and water to species and conserve their natural habitats.  We have to discuss the importance of biodiversity at international level and spread   public awareness about the loss of biodiversity, why it is important for us and how can we mitigate the loss. International cooperation is essential for the conservation of species.  Green climate funds should be provided for developing countries to conserve biodiversity.  

Conclusion:

The relationship between climate change, economic development and governance is complex in case of biodiversity. Due to change in climate our ecosystem is changing and these changes have serious consequences on our ecosystem, human health and plants health. Most of the organisms are suffering due to climate. But the economic development also playing its role in loss of biodiversity. It’s essential for us to address climate change to mitigate its impacts on our ecosystem along with economic development. With good governance and environmental friendly policies it is possible to reduce biodiversity loss even with good economic development. We have to address the importance of biodiversity at national and international level and spread public awareness about its loss and how can we mitigate it.