Anthropogenic extinction occurs when human activities such as overhunting, habitat change, and resource exploitation eliminate species and alter food webs.
Anthropogenic extinction occurs when human activity causes the last individuals of a species to die. The current rapid, widespread losses are described as a sixth mass extinction.
Direct killing and habitat alteration reduce abundance; small populations then become more vulnerable to reproductive failure, inbreeding and chance events. Extinction is global, whereas disappearance from one area is extirpation.
| Case | Human pressure | Evidence-based lesson |
|---|---|---|
| North Island giant moa (Dinornis novaezealandiae) | Overhunting after human arrival | Large terrestrial species with slow replacement can be removed faster than populations recover |
| Caribbean monk seal (Neomonachus tropicalis) | Human exploitation and other human pressures on a marine species | Marine range does not protect a species from sustained human-caused mortality |
For a third case from a region familiar to the learner, record the named species, verified human cause, population pathway and evidence source; do not infer global extinction from a local absence.
A plausible human pressure is not enough: the case study must connect that pressure to population decline and distinguish extinction from extirpation.
This objective is assessed through multiple choice, commonly using Identify.
Identify
Build the answer around this relationship: Anthropogenic extinction is extinction caused by human activities.
Representative question
The North Island giant moa (Dinornis novaezealandiae) went extinct some time between the arrival of humans in New Zealand and the 1800s.
What do scientists believe to be the cause of this extinction?
Deforestation
New diseases
Competition with other megafauna
Overhunting
D
A strong conservation answer follows a chain: define biodiversity, measure evidence of decline, identify human drivers, then justify conservation action. Biodiversity includes ecosystem, species, and genetic diversity; species diversity uses richness and evenness. Evidence comes from estimates, fossils, repeated surveys, IPBES reports, and indices. Drivers include extinction pressure, ecosystem conversion, population-driven resource demand, pollution, and invasive species. Responses include in situ, ex situ, and EDGE prioritization.