The Pok\u00e9dex<\/a>, a digital encyclopedia that records every species a trainer encounters, serves as a catalog of the world\u2019s biological richness\u2013much like how scientists document real ecosystems. Trainers (despite the controversy around Pok\u00e9mon battling) are expected to care for their Pok\u00e9mon and help them evolve by earning their trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Biodiversity<\/a>\u2013or biological diversity\u2013refers to the variety of life on earth at every level and includes the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life. It encompasses all living things<\/a> and is influenced by human communities. While the world of Pok\u00e9mon is overflowing with biodiversity, our real world is losing it at an alarming rate\u2013to the extent that many experts believe we are entering the sixth mass extinction<\/a>. A mass extinction<\/a> is when a high percentage of Earth\u2019s biodiversity dies out in a relatively short period of geological time (thousands or even millions of years).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The planet has already experienced five mass extinction events, the last of which occurred about 65.5 million<\/a> years ago when the dinosaurs were wiped out of existence. This extinction is driven by human activity<\/a>, especially food production, which is responsible for 90% of global deforestation and 70% of our planet\u2019s fresh water depletion. The forests, reefs, and wetlands that support our earth\u2019s \u201cPok\u00e9dex\u201d of life are vanishing because of human activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The World Wildlife Fund\u2019s 2024 Living Planet Report, which measured the change in population sizes of over 5,000 vertebrate species, revealed a frightening 73% decrease<\/a> between 1970 and 2020. This decline<\/a> reflects the broader pressures ecosystems face worldwide, as species struggle to survive in environments that are rapidly changing or disappearing altogether. Habitat loss<\/a>\u2013driven by agricultural expansion, deforestation, urban development, pollution, and climate change\u2013is the leading threat to global biodiversity. Much of this destruction stems from our food system<\/a>: industrial agriculture is the primary driver of deforestation and land conversion worldwide, shrinking wildlife populations and erasing the habitats they depend on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Global conservation efforts aim to combat this rapid decline. In the United States, one of the most powerful legal tools for protecting biodiversity is the Endangered Species Act (ESA<\/a>). The ESA<\/a> is widely recognized as one of the strongest wildlife protection statutes in the world because it ensures that federal agency action does not harm any \u201cthreatened and endangered plants and animals and the habitats in which they are found.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biodiversity protection also depends on international cooperation. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora<\/a>, for example, is a treaty that prohibits international trade that would threaten the survival of wild animals and plants. Another example of international collaboration is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)<\/a>, which establishes a global framework for conserving ecosystems, sustainability, and equitably sharing the benefits of genetic resources.<\/a> This convention encourages countries to create national biodiversity strategies and regularly report progress, but its commitments are largely non-binding and the CBD lacks strong enforcement mechanisms. According to the Global Diversity Outlook 5\u2013 Summary for Policymakers<\/a>, most nations failed to meet the CBD\u2019s 2020 biodiversity targets, citing major gaps in funding, capacity and governance. The United States also never ratified the CBD<\/a>. As a result, major gaps in international biodiversity protection efforts persist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even the Pok\u00e9mon world has come to reflect real-world biodiversity loss<\/a>. In the Sword and Shield generation of Pok\u00e9mon, Corsola<\/a>\u2013a once cheerful and bright pink coral reef Pok\u00e9mon\u2013got a new form. Her \u201cGalarian\u201d form\u2013a white, ghost-type Pok\u00e9mon\u2013was inspired by the real problem of coral bleaching<\/a>, a devastating consequence of global climate change. Coral bleaching is what happens when warming oceans cause coral\u2019s tissue to turn white. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This creative choice of the Pok\u00e9mon creators, to give Corsola a new form, sadly underscores the truth that about half<\/a> of the world\u2019s coral reefs have already died. 90% of the world\u2019s surviving reefs<\/a> are expected to disappear by 2025. Coral reefs are home to more than 25% of marine life<\/a>\u2013the Pok\u00e9mon equivalent of an entire region\u2019s biodiversity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Legal decisions can impact biodiversity protection. For example, in Weyerhaeuser Co. v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service<\/a> (2018), the U.S. Supreme Court held that an area may only be designated a \u201ccritical habitat\u201d<\/a>\u2013one that federal agencies cannot harm because it is essential to a species\u2013under the ESA if the habitat is currently habitable. This decision narrowed the scope of habitat protections<\/a>, which creates a serious challenge for species whose environments have been rendered inhabitable by climate change and thus require restoration. Yet, Weyerhaeuser prevents those areas from being designated as critical habitats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Biodiversity protection has become a major political priority in the United States. The Biden Administration made efforts to conserve 30% of U.S. land and waters by 2030 through its \u201cAmerica the Beautiful<\/a>\u201d initiative, but state-level implementation<\/a> has varied: definitions of what it means to \u201cconserve\u201d land and water vary significantly, funding is inconsistent, and some states have not yet developed baseline metrics or legislative frameworks needed to meet the target. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The beautiful universe of Pok\u00e9mon reminds us of our role in the ecosystem: we must work with our environment. Trainers and Pok\u00e9mon thrive through interdependence, not domination. Modern environmental law mirrors this principle by requiring federal agencies to evaluate environmental harms before acting, protect critical habitats, regulate pollution, and support ecosystem restoration\u2013measures designed to balance human development with the health of natural systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The world we experience in our games is vibrant: alive with diversity and wonder. That world can still be our reality, but only if environmental law preserves it. If we want the next generation to inherit a world as beautiful as that of the Pok\u00e9mon world, we need to protect the real habitats that still remain\u2013before they fade into fiction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Niamh Sponholz (Fordham Law \u201827) From Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s Viridian Forest to Vanishing Habitats in Real Life When Pok\u00e9mon players first arrive at the Viridian Forest, they are submerged in a beautiful, lush forest full of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-change","category-international"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fordhamlawelr.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.serebii.net\/pokearth\/maps\/kanto-lgpe\/40.jpg\")
Biodiversity Loss: The Real-World Pok\u00e9dex Is Shrinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
From Corsola to Coral Bleaching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Legal Battles for Endangered Ecosystems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s Lesson: Balance and Stewardship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n