Biodiversity loss is a huge risk to our planet: here’s what we should do about it

Last month, researchers at the University of California at San Diego released a study into elephant habitats in Asia. Researchers found that the territories suitable for the creatures have decreased by 64 per cent since 1700. This is equal to 3.3 million square kilometres: more than the entire land mass of India.

Zoom out and consider the global picture: deforestation and forest degradation means the world lost 11 per cent in tree cover between 2001 and 2021, and last year the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) reported that wildlife populations have declined by 69 per cent since 1970. That, by any measure, is a tragedy. But it poses an existential threat to our species, too.