World Food Demand to Escalate Threats of Habitat Loss, Research Warns

The global food industry will lead to rapid displacement of wildlife habitat. Close to 90 percent of terrestrial animals are more likely to lose their natural habitat by 2050, unless the dietary and production of food is changed.

Rapid population increase in the world exerts more pressure on food production. According to a report published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the world is glaring at the biodiversity loss that might be triggered by the type of food that is eaten and how it’s produced.

The study that was conducted by David Williams of Leeds University revealed that millions of hectares of natural habitat will be lost by the year 2050. “We need to change what we eat and how it is produced if we are going to save wildlife on a global scale,” Williams stated.

According to the research, regions that are more likely to suffer biodiversity loss include sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of South and Central America. It was recommended that to avoid biodiversity loss, there must be a reduced expansion of arable land and “practical strategies targeting how, where and what food is produced could lessen these threats.”

Reduced agricultural yields in sub-Saharan Africa have been the major cause of human encroachment into wildlife habitat. The increased demand for food, animal pasture is more likely to escalate threats to habitat loss.