Which one of the following is not a part of ‘The Evil Quartet’ in relation to biodiversity losses?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Over-production
The Evil Quartet is the name given to the four major causes of biodiversity loss: habitat loss and fragmentation, over-exploitation, alien species invasions and co-extinctions.
(1) Habitat loss and fragmentation — One of the Evil Quartet. It is the most important cause. Tropical rain forests once covered more than 14 per cent of the earth’s land. Now they cover no more than 6 per cent.
(2) Over-production — Not one of the Evil Quartet. Over-production is not a cause of species loss. The real cause is over-exploitation.
(3) Over-exploitation — One of the Evil Quartet. When humans take too much from nature, species can die out. Steller’s sea cow and the passenger pigeon became extinct this way.
(4) Co-extinction — One of the Evil Quartet. When one species becomes extinct, the species tied to it also die out. When a host fish becomes extinct, its own parasites are lost with it.