Agricultural expansion is driving a sharp decline in wildlife across the world’s most biologically rich ecosystems, with more than 26 per cent of species disappearing from biodiversity hotspots, according to a new global study. The findings highlight how rising food production is coming at a severe ecological cost, particularly in regions that harbour rare and endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.
The study, published on December 26, 2025 in the journal Communications Earth & Environment was led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and China Agricultural University, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Cambridge, the University of Maryland and the University of Oklahoma. It offers one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of how farming is reshaping biodiversity hotspots worldwide.
Biodiversity hotspots are ecologically exceptional regions that contain extraordinary concentrations of plants and animals but have already lost more than 70 per cent of their original natural vegetation. As natural habitats shrink, much of the planet’s unique biodiversity is increasingly confined to fragmented and degraded landscapes, making these regions especially vulnerable to further land-use change.
Focusing on small-ranged vertebrates such as mammals, birds and amphibians, the researchers found that agricultural land within biodiversity hotspots supports far fewer species than natural ecosystems. Species richness was found to be 26 per cent lower on croplands, while the total number of individual animals and plants declined by 12 per cent. Overall ecological diversity also dropped significantly, indicating a deep disruption of ecosystem balance.
These losses are particularly alarming because small-ranged species are highly sensitive to habitat disturbance. Even limited conversion of forests or grasslands into farms can push entire populations towards extinction. Many of these species play essential ecological roles such as pollination, seed dispersal and pest control, meaning their disappearance can trigger cascading impacts across entire ecosystems.
Using wildlife data from the global PREDICTS database and high-resolution satellite imagery, the researchers examined cropland expansion between 2000 and 2019. They found that farmland within biodiversity hotspots expanded by 12 per cent during this period, outpacing the global average expansion rate of 9 per cent. The growth was especially pronounced in tropical regions near the equator.
Some of the most affected regions include the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado in South America, Indo-Burma and Sundaland in Southeast Asia, parts of eastern and southern Africa, and the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalaya in South Asia. By overlaying maps of cropland expansion with the distribution of small-ranged vertebrates, the study identified 3,483 high-risk zones covering about 1,741 million hectares globally.
Crucially, nearly 1,031 million hectares of these high-risk areas lie outside protected forests, parks and reserves. This lack of legal protection leaves them especially vulnerable to continued agricultural conversion, further threateningdiminishing already fragile wildlife populations.
The global patterns identified in the study are unfolding sharply in India’s Western Ghats, one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. The mountain chain along India’s western coast is home to more than 5,000 flowering plant species, 139 mammals, 508 birds and at least 325 globally threatened species, many of which are found nowhere else.
Experts working in the region say land-use change is accelerating. Akshay Gawade of the Applied Environmental Research Foundation in Pune pointed out that large tracts of land in the northern Western Ghats are being converted into orchards, often encouraged by government subsidies. Traditional farming systems are breaking down as younger generations migrate away, leaving land to be sold to plantation owners or logging interests.
Unlike large monoculture fields, agricultural expansion in the Western Ghats often takes the form of plantations and mixed-use farms. While less visually dramatic, this form of land conversion fragments forests into smaller and disconnected patches, making it increasingly difficult for wildlife to move, breed and survive.
Research has already documented the ecological consequences of these changes. Studies of amphibians on the rocky plateaus of Maharashtra’s northern Western Ghats have shown that converting these unique habitats into rice paddies and orchards leads to steep declines in frog diversity. Such findings reinforce concerns about the long-term survival of species adapted to highly specific ecological niches.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the Western Ghats as being of “significant concern” in its 2025 World Heritage Outlook report, citing land-use change and development pressure as key threats. Protecting biodiversity in privately owned agricultural and plantation landscapes remains especially challenging, as economic and political interests often limit regulation.
While the global study does not directly analyse plantation agriculture, its findings underscore the risks posed by all forms of land conversion in biodiversity-rich regions. The authors warn that expanding agriculture into hotspots to meet growing food demand is not a sustainable solution.
Instead, the researchers call for strategically expanding protected areas in biodiversity hotspots, particularly where species with limited ranges are concentrated. They stress the need to strengthen management and enforcement within existing protected areas to ensure they truly safeguard wildlife. Improving productivity on already cultivated land is also essential to reduce pressure on remaining natural habitats.
The study further highlights the importance of international cooperation on food trade so that biodiversity-rich but economically vulnerable countries are not forced to sacrifice ecosystems to meet global demand. Finally, it emphasises that conservation efforts must involve local communities, recognising that people living in these landscapes are central to protecting them.
As farming continues to spread across some of the planet’s most irreplaceable ecosystems, the study serves as a stark warning that food security and biodiversity conservation must be addressed together, or the world risks losing a significant share of its natural heritage.