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Human Bias
To learn more about the major threats to aquatic biodiversity please select from the following:
Losses to aquatic biodiversity are now being linked to public biases towards species viewed as "pests" or "threats" to society or towards species that are either unobserved or whose existence and general importance to aquatic ecosystems are unknown. Often times "pest" or "threat" species such as sharks have been hunted to near extinction upsetting the natural balance of their associated ecosystem. This is especially alarming as sharks are slow growing animals and have low reproductive rates reaching sexual maturity later in life, making it harder to restore declining populations.
In addition, most people are unaware of the vast number and importance of the small microorganisms that exist in aquatic habitats. Organisms such as microbes and arthropods are a main source of food for most aquatic organisms. Unfortunately, as a result of human biases conservation and protection measures are lacking for many important aquatic species, thus placing biodiversity at a greater risk.
- For more information on "Sharks
in Trouble (PDF)" (2pp, 425K, About PDF)
from the World Wildlife Fund. - Read about Biodiversity
and
human values from the The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- American Fisheries Society Policy Statement on Biodiversity (16pp, 106K, About PDF)
- BBC News article on World
'losing battle against extinctions'