Biodiversity

Habitat destruction

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The Chaco thorn forest is being felled at a rate considered among the highest in the world to give way to soybean cultivation.

Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity.^[1] Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of harvesting natural resources for industry production andurbanization. Clearing habitats for agriculture is the principal cause of habitat destruction. Other important causes of habitat destruction include mining, logging, trawling and urban sprawl. Habitat destruction is currently ranked as the primary cause of species extinction worldwide.^[2] It is a process of natural environmental change that may be caused by habitat fragmentation, geological processes, climate change^[1] or by human activities such as the introduction of invasive species, ecosystem nutrient depletion and other human activities mentioned below.

The terms "habitat loss" and "habitat reduction" are also used in a wider sense, including loss of habitat from other factors, such as water and noise pollution.