What is the primary cause of biodiversity loss?

The primary cause of biodiversity loss is habitat destruction due to human activities. As human populations grow and expand, natural habitats are altered or destroyed to make way for agriculture, urban development, logging, and other industrial activities. This destruction significantly reduces the available space for wildlife and disrupts the ecosystems that sustain various species.

When habitats are degraded or fragmented, many species face challenges such as food shortages, loss of shelter, and reduced opportunities for mating. These changes can lead to population declines and even extinction for some species, resulting in a loss of biodiversity. Moreover, habitat destruction often affects the interconnected relationships among species within an ecosystem, leading to further ecological disruption.

While other factors like predation, natural disasters, and invasive species certainly impact biodiversity, they generally do not have the same pervasive, long-term effect on a large scale as habitat destruction driven by human activities. Therefore, habitat destruction is recognized as the foremost threat to biodiversity worldwide.