Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

What is Biodiversity?01:19

What is Biodiversity?

28.1K
Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.
28.1K
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

Threats to Biodiversity

21.9K
There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
21.9K
Biodiversity and Human Values01:24

Biodiversity and Human Values

14.8K
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
14.8K
What is Conservation Biology?01:57

What is Conservation Biology?

17.7K
Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the human population. Humans require properly functioning ecosystems to maintain our supply of natural resources, including food, medicines, and building materials.
17.7K
Ecological Disturbance02:26

Ecological Disturbance

16.2K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
16.2K
Habitat Fragmentation02:31

Habitat Fragmentation

15.8K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
15.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Overcoming the coupled climate and biodiversity crises and their societal impacts.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2023
Same author

African greenhouse gas emission inventories and mitigation options: Forestry, land-use change, and agriculture.

Environmental monitoring and assessment·2013
Same author

Greenhouse gas emissions from vegetation fires in Southern Africa.

Environmental monitoring and assessment·2013
Same author

Carbon storage in eucalyptus and pine plantations in South Africa.

Environmental monitoring and assessment·2013
Same author

The burning of fuelwood in South Africa: When is it sustainable?

Environmental monitoring and assessment·2013
Same author

Preface.

Environmental monitoring and assessment·2013
Same journal

Retraction Note: NSD2 targeting reverses plasticity and drug resistance in prostate cancer.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Enhanced B cell priming induces broadly neutralizing HIV-1 apex antibodies.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Vaccination elicits HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies in primates.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Child online safety needs more than social-media bans.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Ebola preparedness must start with ecosystems and before humans show symptoms.

Nature·2026
Same journal

AI tools can speed up thinking, but evidence still comes from the lab bench.

Nature·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans
08:14

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Published on: April 28, 2023

1.0K

A biodiversity intactness index.

R J Scholes1, R Biggs

  • 1CSIR Environmentek, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa. bscholes@csir.co.za

Nature
|March 4, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A new Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) helps track global biodiversity loss. In southern Africa, populations declined to 84% of pre-modern levels by 2000, with mammals and grasslands most affected.

More Related Videos

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
10:23

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

Published on: July 11, 2025

723
Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)
09:38

Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)

Published on: September 5, 2025

1.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans
08:14

Ecotoxicological Methodologies to Evaluate Biomarkers at Different Scales in Neotropical Anurans

Published on: April 28, 2023

1.0K
A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
10:23

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

Published on: July 11, 2025

723
Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)
09:38

Updated Protocol for the Assembly and Use of the Minibioreactor Array (MBRA)

Published on: September 5, 2025

1.1K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Global biodiversity loss is a critical environmental concern.
  • International targets aim to reduce biodiversity loss rates.
  • Assessing progress requires practical and sensitive metrics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) for assessing progress towards biodiversity targets.
  • To develop a metric that is simple, practical, and sensitive to biodiversity status.
  • To ensure policy relevance for conservation efforts.

Main Methods:

  • Development of the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII).
  • Application of the BII to a large region (4 x 10(6) km2) in southern Africa.
  • Analysis of population declines across taxonomic groups and ecosystem types.

Main Results:

  • The BII score for southern Africa in 2000 was approximately 84%.
  • This indicates an average population decline to 84% of pre-modern levels for plants and vertebrates.
  • Mammals showed the greatest loss (71%), and grasslands had the lowest intactness (74%).
  • An estimated population decline of 0.8% occurred during the 1990s.

Conclusions:

  • The BII is a valuable tool for monitoring biodiversity status and progress towards conservation goals.
  • Southern Africa experienced significant biodiversity loss by 2000, particularly in mammals and grasslands.
  • Continued monitoring is essential to understand and mitigate biodiversity decline.