Statement I: The biological wealth of our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human activities.
Statement II: The accelerated rates of species extinctions that the world is facing now are largely due to human activities.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.
NCERT doubts that any new species are being added through speciation, while species are being lost fast. It holds human activities responsible both for the decline of the earth’s biological wealth and for the present fast rate of extinctions.
Statement I: The biological wealth of our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human activities. — True. This is NCERT’s own line. Biodiversity is falling fast, and the cause is human activity; for example, colonisation of tropical Pacific Islands by humans led to the loss of more than 2,000 species of native birds.
Statement II: The accelerated rates of species extinctions that the world is facing now are largely due to human activities. — True. The present extinction rates are much faster than in pre-human times, and our activities are responsible for this. NCERT then lists the four major causes, called ‘The Evil Quartet’.
NCERT Extract:
Loss of Biodiversity – “While it is doubtful if any new species are being added (through speciation) into the earth’s treasury of species, there is no doubt about their continuing losses. The biological wealth of our planet has been declining rapidly and the accusing finger is clearly pointing to human activities. The colonisation of tropical Pacific Islands by humans is said to have led to the extinction of more than 2,000 species of native birds.”
Loss of Biodiversity – “… Causes of biodiversity losses: The accelerated rates of species extinctions that the world is facing now are largely due to human activities. There are four major causes (‘The Evil Quartet’ is the sobriquet used to describe them).”