8 Major Threats to Biodiversity and Ecosystem

7. Wars

The study Warfare in Biodiversity Hotspots showed that over 90 percent of the major armed conflicts between 1950 and 2000 occurred within countries containing biodiversity hotspots (areas that are a reservoir of species that are endangered), and more than 80 percent took place directly within hotspot areas. Modern chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons represent a real danger for biodiversity. For instance, During the Vietnam War, toxic Agent Orange destroyed 14 percent of forest and half of coastal mangroves in Vietnam. Another threat to biodiversity during wartime are local fighters that hunt animals for food and entertainment. During Second Congo War, which began in 1998, the hippo population was reduced by 95 percent, from 29,000 in the mid-1970s hippo population dropped down to 800 or 900. Finally, wars leave thousands and millions people displaced. Refugees must hunt, gather firewood, or build homes to survive. According to the same (Warefare in Biodiversity Hotspots) study – “During the civil war in Rwanda in the mid-1990s, over 2 million refugees fled to neighboring countries, and the demand for fuelwood led to the deforestation of more than 300 km2 of land in Virunga National Park”.