Definition

The loss of animal populations or species. Causes of defaunation include habitat destruction and fragmentation, overexploitation, and invasive species.

Further reading
Defaunation in the Anthropocene (Dirzo et al., 2014) [journal article]
Patterns, Causes, and Consequences of Anthropocene Defaunation (Young et al., 2016) [journal article]
Related

Anthropocene defaunation; ‘empty forest’; Living Planet Index (LPI); mammalian defaunation; marine defaunation; nature loss

See also
Anthropocentrism
Biodiversity
Conservation
Mass extinction
Explore by theme
Challenges
Environmental Changes
Drafted by
Chris Graham
Reviewed by
TBC