The Takeaways (Drivers of Biodiversity Loss)
Takeaways are key points detailed and referenced in the Water Pollution section
Biomass of Land Animals
The huge inventory of factory farmed animals requires an immense share of land, water, and fertile soil, forcing all other species to fight for survival on steadily smaller shares.
Globally, the biomass (aggregated weight) of land mammals raised for food is about 25 times the size of all wild land mammals. (Animal biomass is a reasonable marker for the underlying drain on resources.)
Farmed bird biomass is about 2.5 times the size of all wild bird biomass.
About 85% of wild land mammal biomass has been lost since pre-human times.
Habitat Loss – Land and Water
The primary driver of biodiversity loss is habitat loss; the primary driver of habitat loss is agricultural land use and conversion; animal ag is the key driver behind agricultural land use and conversion.
Total animal ag land use, i.e., grazing lands and croplands used specifically for animal feed, accounts for ~45% of the contiguous U.S. and ~81% of all agricultural land.
Animal agriculture accounts for ~40% of total U.S. water consumption, draining waterways and groundwater.
Freshwater species in the U.S. face the highest risks of extinction; the central threats are loss of water habitats, changes to water flow, and water pollution.
U.S. grasslands, originally among the most species rich habitats on earth, have been mostly transformed into cropland for corn, soybeans, and pasture, with the total loss at greater than 60%.
Monoculture crop production used specifically for animal feed takes up ~175 million acres that once were home to a wide variety of wild plant and animal species.
Pollution
The persistent application of chemical fertilizers, manure, and pesticides on feed crops is a primary extinction threat for U.S. species.
Nutrient pollution from factory farm manure and chemical fertilizers leads to eutrophication of lakes and rivers and coastal dead zones threatening all aquatic life.
About half of all nutrient pollution comes from animal ag; nutrient pollution is the primary threat to U.S. waterways.
Neonics are the most toxic and persistent insecticides; about half of all neonics go on the share of crops specifically used for animal feed.
Despite the high toxicity of neonics to insects, birds, bees, soil invertebrates, and aquatic species, the EPA has been almost completely ineffective in managing the threats to biodiversity.