The hidden danger to wildlife posed by imported consumer goods - an
espresso coffee in Beijing, a tofu salad in Chicago - can now be
pinpointed and measured, researchers say.
Crunching huge amounts
of data, they unveiled a global "threat map" detailing the impact on
endangered species of exports to the United States, China, Japan and the
European Union.
To procure beans for that coffee or tofu, for
example, forests have been cleared in Sumatra, Indonesia and in Brazil's
Mato Grosso, adding incrementally to the habitat loss driving dozens of
animals and plants towards extinction.
The global supply chain of manufactured goods - from iPhones to Ikea furniture - can also contribute to wildlife decline.
Focusing
on nearly 7000 land and marine species classified as threatened by the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the
researchers traced "hotspots" of biodiversity loss to hundreds of
commodities and their distant markets.
In earlier work, they concluded that 30 per cent of worldwide species threats are due to international trade.
The
new study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution this
week, reveals which nations' consumers drive species loss most.
It also suggests where conservation efforts should be focused.
Currently,
90 per cent of the more than US$6 billion ($8.5b) mobilised each year
for species conservation is spent within rich nations where money is
raised.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11778241
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