The world's biodiversity has decreased below 'safe' levels

Our planet is losing so many species that we might be putting ourselves at risk. New research shows that across half of the Earth’s land surface, biodiversity — all the different animals, plants, and other species that make up an ecosystem — has dropped below a threshold that some scientists consider "safe."

Understanding how much biodiversity we’re losing is key to our own survival. We depend on biodiversity to live. Natural processes like crop pollination, waste decomposition, and regulation of the global carbon cycle all depend on biodiversity. For example, more than 240 crop species around the world, including many fruits, need pollinators like bees and butterflies to survive. "The possible consequences of things going wrong are...