Biodiversity loss threatens humankind: UN report

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The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Monday warned in a report that the alarming loss of biodiversity threatens devastating consequences for humankind if it goes unchecked.

Changes to climate may be reversible in time, but there is no going back once species become extinct, said the report, which was released during the ongoing UN Biodiversity Conference 2018 being held in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Unsustainable crop, livestock, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture practices as well as unproductive systems such as industries, mining and urbanization processes are taking an incalculable toll on the wealth of biodiversity and health of our ecosystem, it noted.

Vera Agostini, FAO deputy director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division, said the UN agency aims to save threatened species from demise.

She said her agency plans to raise awareness and foster dialogue with communities and stakeholders in the coming years to reduce activities in the oceans, lakes, and seas.

"We are set to develop indicators to measure impacts and dependence of the agricultural sector on biodiversity," Agostini added.

Representatives from 196 countries are present at the 17-day UN biodiversity conference which began on November 13.

(Cover photo: An Illustration appealing people around the world to protect the earth's ecosystem. /VCG photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency