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Overexploitation, the key term for today, is the use of a natural resource by humans to a point that is unsustainable.
The following factors contribute to overexploitation:
There are many different types of overexploitation. The table below describes a few of them with examples.
| Types of Overexploitation | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fur trade | In the past, when one animal would become rare for use, another animal source would then be used. | At the beginning of the 1900s, squirrels and minks were becoming rarer and harder to find for use in clothing. In response, the sea otter was heavily hunted and harvested as a replacement, but it nearly became extinct in the process. |
| Fishing industry | Rates at which fish are harvested through current commercial fishing practices exceed the rates at which fish populations recharge and reproduce. The majority of the big predatory fish at the top of the food chain have been overharvested so much that they can no longer be fished. Now, fish lower down on the food chain are being harvested. | In the Great Lakes, sturgeon populations have declined from overfishing. |
| Overharvesting of amphibians and reptiles | Amphibians and reptiles are overharvested for food, skin, souvenirs, and medicines. Many amphibians and reptiles have long lifespans, slow growth, and low reproductive rates, which makes it even harder for them to recover from overexploitation. | Snakeskin boots are still popular today, and many snake populations are in danger because of these fashionable accessories. |
| Pet trade | Exotic animals are sold as pets. Some are even sold to be stuffed as collectors' items. | Some animals, like the loris, sell for extremely low prices in impoverished countries. The illegal traders then sell the wild animals in developed nations for thousands of dollars. |
Overexploitation of one species can have repercussions for the rest of the ecosystem. The decline in population of one species, which is food for another, will result in the decline of population of the second species as well.
This interdependent relationship is illustrated in the food web shown below.
Another instance illustrating the impact of overexploitation occurs when two competing species balance each other in an ecosystem, and one is overexploited. In turn, the second species' population could skyrocket and cause further effects in the ecosystem.
Conservation biology is the study of impacts on biodiversity with the intention of protecting biodiversity. The physical structure of a landscape can play a large role in the health of biodiversity. Habitat fragmentation, a result of developing land for human use, causes habitats to shrink in size and creates more boundaries and edges between ecosystems.
Conservation biologists attempt to mitigate this problem by creating corridors of land between habitat areas that allow ecology to be more mobile and can stabilize biodiversity. Conservation biologists study the dynamics of ecology to establish protected areas and slow the loss of biodiversity.
A challenge to conserving species is that it often requires resolving conflicts between the habitat needs of species and human desires. Sustainability seeks to provide for human needs while conserving biodiversity.
The following table includes some tools used to address and mitigate the impacts of overexploitation.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| National laws | Regulate trade in endangered species |
| International agreements | Restrict overexploitation of species |
| Hunting restrictions | Restrict hunting based on annual quotas |
| Economic incentives | Discourage overexploitation through both positive and negative incentives. Positive incentives include compensation in the form of cash, goods, or services to encourage particular conservation practices, while negative incentives include fines and penalties for poaching. |
It is important to note that even advanced scientific knowledge and the best of practices to manage exploitation can be challenging to implement, and they often fail because of institutional difficulties.
Source: THIS TUTORIAL WAS AUTHORED BY JENSEN MORGAN FOR SOPHIA LEARNING. PLEASE SEE OUR TERMS OF USE.
