Threats to Biodiversity Detailed by UKZN Researcher in Science Journal

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Honorary Research Fellow in Life Sciences, Dr Enrico Di Minin, recently co-authored a study - which appeared in the prestigious Science journal - on gaps in data needed to prevent the sixth mass extinction.

Di Minin, based at the University of Helsinki in Finland, was part of a group of representatives of a consortium of 18 organisations, including universities and conservation non-governmental bodies (NGOs) that compiled available global data on biodiversity threats. The team reviewed almost 300 data sets, marking them on five attributes required for conservation assessments.

This research contributes to understanding threats to biodiversity, where they occur and the rate at which change is happening. The study revealed that the reliable and accessible data needed for this understanding were largely missing.

‘We lack key information on important threats to biodiversity such as invasive species, logging, bush meat harvesting, and illegal wildlife trade,’ explained Di Minin.

These researchers stress that filling these data gaps need not start from scratch; existing datasets can be scaled up if appropriately resourced. Researchers hope the analysis will enable new approaches to mapping and measuring threats facing endangered species and ecosystems.

The publication received considerable attention, with the presence of some of the most important conservation institutions involved in the consortium, ensuring that awareness of filling data gaps would be raised at all levels.

Di Minin undertook his PhD field work in game reserves in KwaZulu-Natal, co-supervised by UKZN’s Professor Rob Slotow, with whom he frequently collaborates. Among his recent work is a paper looking at drivers of the illegal killing of rhinos in South Africa and pros and cons of a legal trade in rhino horn.

Di Minin’s work is focused on evaluating economic benefits derived from biodiversity conservation, spatial conservation prioritisation, and trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and alternative land uses to reduce policy conflicts. He is among the first researchers to use social media data to inform conservation decision-making, and prioritises using interdisciplinary research and involving conservation practitioners.

Christine Cuénod