Real, vibrant, resilient health—begins not in the pharmacy, but in the soil beneath our feet. Central to our health is a diet derived from a diverse range of life forms, whether these are plants, animals, fungi, algae or other microorganisms, that have been nurtured by sunlight and rich, organic soils or natural, uncontaminated waters.

The Sixth Mass Extinction: Can You Survive It?

By Rob Verkerk PhD, Melissa Smith and Meleni Aldridge 

As agricultural systems become ever more industrialised, plant foods are grown increasingly in sterile hydroponic media, and more ingredients, often bioengineered, are generated in bioreactors, we need to ask ourselves what kind of impacts such ‘high tech’ foods will have on our human health.

The term ‘biodiversity’, an abbreviation of biological diversity, refers to the rich variation and interconnectedness of life in all of its forms. It is not just a concept for ecologists and tree huggers; it’s the foundation of both planetary integrity and human vitality.

When this web of life is intact, it nurtures resilience in the face of stress, stability in the face of environmental disturbance, robust immunity in the face of pathogenic challenge—all pointing to a state that we can describe as vibrant health. When biodiversity declines, the web of life that has co-evolved over millennia alongside dramatic environmental changes, loses some of the feedback loops required to weather the stresses to which life is exposed. The interconnected ecosystems that comprise the biosphere then become weaker, more fragile and less resilient.

There is undisputed evidence that biodiversity across a wide range of different classes of organism is plummeting. Estimates vary from rates that range between 100, and potentially soon to rise to 10,000, times the background rate that occurred between the previous five mass extinctions (Fig. 1). Organisms most affected include vertebrates, especially amphibians but also certain groups of mammals and birds, invertebrates, notably insects and molluscs, and flowering plants. The five previous extinctions were all driven by natural phenomena, such as massive climatic changes linked to changes in atmospheric gas concentrations, oceanic anoxia, volcanic activity, or meteorite impacts.

As Sir David Attenborough has made clear, the present Sixth Mass Extinction is the first to be associated with human activity, and includes mass urbanisation and supporting infrastructure, industrial agriculture, deforestation, pollution, overfishing, hunting, and illegal animal trade.

The 2022 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services reveals staggering losses of biodiversity, including, in terrestrial systems, a 23% decline in biotic integrity (the abundance of naturally-present species), with 25% of known species being threatened with extinction.

Leading ecologists who have been studying extinction patterns for decades, Gerardo Ceballos and Paul Erhlich, stress the co-dependence of humans on nature, arguing in a recent article published in the peer reviewed Proceedings of the National Academies of Science USA, that “Such mutilation of the tree of life and the resulting loss of ecosystem services provided by biodiversity to humanity is a serious threat to the stability of civilization.”

While there is increasing recognition of significance of biodiversity loss in the natural environment, as yet, there is little public awareness of how loss of biodiversity directly and indirectly affects human health.

This intricate web of life, that includes soil microbes, wild plants and animals, the plant, animal, fungal, algal and bacterial life that include the organisms that contribute to the healthiest, nutrient-dense diets, other sentient and non-sentient life on this planet, as well as the astonishing array of microbes residing within our own bodies, when in balance, holds the key to a healthier world—for people and planet alike.

To truly protect our health, we must reclaim and restore biodiversity at every level—from the gut microbiome to global ecosystems.

>>> Biodiversity credits: profiting from nature’s last frontier

The human gut microbiome—home to trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms—is a dynamic ecosystem, both internally and externally, that’s vital to digestion, immunity, brain function, and chronic disease prevention. These microbes flourish on diversity. Just as a thriving forest or coral reef needs varied flora and fauna, your gut microbiota need a wide range of nutrients—especially plant-based compounds such as soluble and insoluble fibres, polyphenols, short-chain fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and plenty of clean water.

Each species of gut microbe depends on specific dietary components to survive. A varied, colourful, whole-food diet rich in a diverse range of polyphenols from fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, and wild plants is key to cultivating this internal biodiversity. These bioactive compounds fuel beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila—key to maintaining gut lining integrity—and Lactobacillus species, which help produce anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and reduce the prevalence of pathogenic microbes.

The tragedy of the Standard American Diet (SAD)—now exported globally—is that it strips this diversity away. Dominated by ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and industrial oils, the SAD is alarmingly low in polyphenols and nutrient diversity. Without these critical substrates, beneficial microbes starve and lose function, pathogenic strains proliferate, and the gut ecosystem falls into imbalance or “dysbiosis.” The result? Rising rates of inflammatory chronic disease states, metabolic disease, cognitive dysfunction, and more.

Our gut microbiome doesn’t exist in isolation. It mirrors the soil microbiome—the bustling, unseen life force that nourishes plant roots, cycles nutrients, and sustains ecosystems. Rich, living soils give rise to nutrient-dense, phytochemical-rich plants, which in turn feed our own internal microbial communities.

>>> Watch the extraordinary film, Planet Soil, directed by leading documentary filmaker Mark Verkerk, brother of ANH Founder, Rob Verkerk

However, industrial farming methods—chemical fertilisers, synthetic pesticides, monocultures, and excessive tillage—are decimating the soil microbiome. Just as antibiotics indiscriminately wipe out gut bacteria, these agricultural inputs obliterate soil microorganisms, microfauna and other life, leading to erosion, nutrient depletion, and declining crop quality. Nutrients like zinc, iron, magnesium, and selenium—critical for human health—have measurably declined in conventionally grown produce over recent decades.

Healthy, living soils are basis of regenerative agricultural system. They have many attributes, including:

• Holding large reserves of water
• Reducing flooding and landslides
• They are home to a vast array of life – just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there!
• The huge array of microbial life in living soils include bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, algae, protozoa, nematodes and viruses
• Healthy, living soils sequester carbon from the atmosphere and store it for future use
• Along with sunlight and water, these soils are the essential matrix for the production of nutrient-dense foods

When we protect and regenerate soils, we’re not just farming—we’re rebuilding the very roots of human health.

In contrast to the monocultures now synonymous with industrial agriculture, wild plants thrive in complex ecosystems—interacting with diverse soil microbes, coexisting with insects, fungi, birds, and animals. This dynamic environment triggers the production of powerful phytochemicals including flavonoids: such as anthocyanins, flavones, flavonols, flavanones, and isoflavones, as well as phenolic acids, stilbenes, tannins, terpenoids, glucosinolates, saponins, alkaloids, phytoalexins, and others compounds. While these compounds often offer protective functions for plants, when consumed by humans they offer potent nutritional and medicinal properties.

When harvested sustainably, wild plants offer tremendous benefits for both biodiversity and human health. Traditional foraging practices, rooted in indigenous knowledge, preserve ecosystems by respecting seasonal rhythms, rotating harvest areas, and protecting habitats. Such practices allow ecosystems to regenerate, preserving both plant and animal diversity.

Yet wild ecosystems are increasingly under siege as demand for wild plant ingredients grows. Corporate agriculture, overharvesting, the use of more intensive harvesting practices and resource mismanagement, deforestation, and land grabs convert biodiverse landscapes into chemical soaked monocultures for commodities like soy and palm oil—destroying soil microbiomes, displacing wild species, and stripping future generations of their access to nutrient-rich wild foods.

If we lose wild harvesting traditions, we lose biodiversity. And with it, we lose access to the very compounds and organisms that underpin human resilience.

>>> ANH Feature: Planet in crisis – looking beyond climate change

There is a viable, proven alternative that isn’t just an agricultural practice—it’s a health intervention—one that aligns with both nature’s intelligence and human wellbeing, reconnecting the broken links between soil, food, and human biology. Regenerative agriculture restores what industrial farming depletes. It builds life into the soil, sequesters carbon, and revitalises nutrient cycles.

Practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, composting, and low- or no-till farming feed the soil microbiome, increase organic matter, reduce dependency on chemical inputs and grow crops with greater nutritional integrity. Leguminous cover crops naturally fix nitrogen, improving fertility. Hedgerows and perennials bring back pollinators, beneficial insects, along with birds, bats and other creatures necessary for a healthy environment.

Studies show that food grown regeneratively contains significantly higher levels of minerals, polyphenols, and other vital compounds. These benefits cascade—enhancing gut microbial diversity, reducing inflammation, and supporting systemic health. When eaten regularly, these compounds, help restore gut microbial diversity, fortify immunity, and reduce inflammation.

Highly industrialised monoculture agriculture— the backbone of today’s global food system—aims for efficiency at the expense of health and diversity. Vast swathes of genetically engineered crops such as corn, rice, wheat, or soy deplete the soil, require heavy chemical inputs, and result in nutritionally impoverished food.

This simplification of the global food web reflects a growing consolidation of food and seed  production under the control of a handful of powerful global agri-tech companies.

>>> The Battle for Food Sovereignty is Hotting Up

Such systems strip away biodiversity both above and below ground. Soil microbes die, wild pollinators disappear, and ecosystems collapse under chemical overload. The result? Crops with fewer micronutrients and phytochemicals—compounding the nutritional deficits of heavily-processed foodstuffs, which exemplify the SAD diet, so many now rely on for sustenance.

Monocultures also displace traditional, nutrient-dense crops—heirloom grains, wild herbs, and native vegetables—reducing dietary diversity globally. This homogenisation of our food supply contributes to a simplification of the human gut microbiome, undermining its resilience and function, weakened immunity, increased chronic disease burden, and reduced capacity to adapt to environmental challenges.

Every link in the chain matters. Rich, biodiverse soils support resilient phytochemical-rich plants. These plants, when eaten as part of a varied wholefood diet, nourish a robust gut microbiome. A healthy microbiome, in turn, supports nutrient absorption, robust immunity, mental clarity, resilience and long-term vitality.

Conversely, industrial food systems disrupt every link in this chain—leaving us with impoverished, degraded soils, nutrient-poor crops, bland diets, and compromised gut health.

Health is not a pill—it is a system. And biodiversity and the interconnections implicit in it is the blueprint.

It’s essential for the future health of humankind and the planet we call home, that we advocate for a paradigm shift: one that moves us away from looking to technological fixes for our complex problems and reconnects us to the planetary ecology we are part of. If our planet dies, we die.  The health of people, wild plants and animals, agro-ecosystems, forests, savannahs, coral reefs and other ecosystems cannot be separated—planetary and human health are intimately connected and shared.

When we protect biodiversity—on farms, in forests, in food systems—we’re not only conserving and safeguarding natural ecosystems, we’re safeguarding our own vitality.

We are at a crossroads. We can continue down the path of corporate-controlled, extractive agriculture—or we can return to the richness of nature’s design.

We must protect and promote biodiversity at every level. This includes:

• Reflect on your food choices and consider one small change you can make this week to support biodiversity in your diet or through your purchasing.

• Seek out and support local farmers practicing regenerative agriculture at farmers’ markets or through organic or regenerative farming systems. These farming systems are ‘beyond organic’’; organic certification simply ensures synthetic pesticides and fertilisers are not used. Regenerative farming is less clearly defined, typically not yet in law, but involves minimising soil disturbance, maintaining soil cover, maximising biodiversity, maintaining living roots year-round, and—wait for it—typically integrating livestock

• When shopping, prioritize foods that have clear provenance, transparent labelling and originate from ecologically-minded producers.

• Consider reducing your reliance on food from large supermarket chains and explore alternative sourcing from regenerative sources.

• Embrace a more diverse, plant-rich diet featuring whole, seasonal, and local foods, including wild and foraged options where these are sustainable, ensuring plentiful supply of polyphenols and fibres

• Prepare foods from scratch using whole food produce and ingredients as often as possible, and minimise reliance on ready-prepared foodstuffs

• Experiment with preparing more meals from scratch using whole ingredients to maximize nutrient diversity.

• Explore local initiatives that promote biodiversity and sustainable and regenerative food systems in your community and consider getting involved.

• Talk to your local political representatives about the importance of supporting regenerative agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

• Continue to educate yourself and others about the vital link between biodiversity and human health.

• Start conversations with friends and family about the importance of soil health and diverse food systems.

Let us invest in a future where people and planet can thrive together by choosing food and farming systems that regenerate life, not extract it.

Your health and microbiome—as well as the future of the planet—depend on it.

https://anheurope.org/news/the-sixth-mass-extinction-can-you-survive-it/

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