All over the world, the integrity of ecological systems essential to the survival of the myriad species of plants and animals is threatened by fragmentation associated with human activity. Being dynamic in nature, and therefore subject to change, ecosystems must nonetheless be sufficiently large and continuous in both time and space to sustain the complex interplay among their many species and their physical environment. Human-induced fragmentation of ecosystems disrupts this continuity and integrity thereby impeding these natural processes which leads to degradation and irreversible loss of biological diversity. Fragmentation and the resulting habitat loss therefore threaten the very existence of our natural world.

The causes of ecosystem fragmentation can be traced to detrimental, inappropriate, or ill-conceived human values, political and legal systems, economic policies, resource management practices, or simple lack of knowledge. Human-centered consumption-driven values have led to a lack of respect for other living beings. The result is the over-exploitation of natural resources without regard to ecosystem integrity.

While politics and law may often seem far removed from the problems facing individual landscapes and ecosystems, in reality they are critical determinants of the forces that drive fragmentation. Lack of comprehensive and sustainable land- and resource-use planning can result in fragmentation due to such necessary activities as land conversion for agriculture and livestock, road construction, oil exploration and mining, and logging. Inequitable distribution of wealth results in the misuse of resources by disenfranchised people who have no alternative but to exploit their immediate environment regardless of the ecological consequences. Poorly defined and/or enforced property and use rights exacerbate the above problems.

While development is necessary to human well-being, failure to assign economic value to all biological resources has resulted in tradeoffs that do not favor the maintenance of ecosystem integrity. Unsustainable consumption in wealthy nations impacts directly on biodiversity resources globally and, in particular, resource depletion in poorer nations. At current rates of human population growth and migration, pressure on ecosystems will continue. Lack of knowledge and understanding of the impacts of our actions on the integrity of ecosystems has contributed to their degradation. Where this knowledge has become available through scientific research and local knowledge, it has not been adequately disseminated. — Morningside Declaration (1999)