Question

Recently the phrase "Anthropocene defaunation" was making news. Which of the following is the correct meaning of this phrase?
A) A mass extinction that is primarily induced in human activity
B) Loss and decline of biodiversity in particular biome due to human activity
C) Deforestation and degradation of environment
D) None of the above

Answer 1

Defaunation is the extinction of animal populations or species from ecological communities on a global, local, or functional scale. The increase in human population, together with advancements in harvesting technology, has resulted in more intensive and efficient environmental exploitation.

Complete answer:
Defaunation is different from extinction in that it encompasses both species extinction and population decreases. In the context of Neotropical forests, Defaunation effects were originally suggested in 1988 at the Symposium on Plant-Animal Interactions at the University of Campinas, Brazil. Since then, the word has come to be recognised as a global phenomenon in conservation biology.

Anthropocene defaunation, or the global loss of faunal species and populations, as well as the fall in population abundance, has primarily been reported in terrestrial settings, but evidence imply that defaunation has been more severe in freshwater habitats.

Although marine defaunation is still in its early stages, its consequences are already noticeable, and its rate of acceleration appears to be on the rise. Defaunation is presently having a major impact on the planet's wildlife, with cascade effects ranging from local to global coextinctions of interacting species to the loss of ecological services vital to civilization.

Slowing defaunation will necessitate actively lowering animal overexploitation and habitat degradation, mitigating climate change, and balancing the effects of human population expansion and uneven resource consumption.

As a result, the correct answer is 'Loss and decrease of biodiversity in a specific biome as a result of human activity.'That is option B.

Note: Given its pervasiveness, defaunation should be classified as a major global environmental change that requires the same level of attention as deforestation, pollution, and climate change. To avoid defaunation's current track from sparking the planet's sixth mass extinction, global intervention is required.