ecological harm
Nature's wounds inflicted
Ecological harm is damage to natural systems—ecosystems, habitats, species populations, or environmental processes.
The term appears in environmental law, policy debates, and scientific assessments: The oil spill caused widespread ecological harm to coastal wetlands.
Unlike harm to individual organisms, ecological harm emphasizes disruption to interconnected natural systems and their functions.
- water pollutionHarmful substances in H2O
- microplasticsSub-5mm synthetic environmental particles
- chemical spillsAccidental hazardous substance releases
- species extinctionPermanent end of a lineage
- mass die-offWidespread simultaneous death event
urban sprawl · desertification · ecosystem collapse · deforestation · soil erosion · carbon emissions · ozone hole · sea level rise · overfishing · population decline · litter · bioaccumulation · dead zones · habitat loss · ocean acidification · smog · toxic runoff · nuclear fallout
- Pollution Liabilityenvironmental damage, pollution control, cleanup costs, remediation, soil contamination
- pollutionair pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, smog, toxic waste
ecological harmecological restoration
Repairing damaged natural environments
environmental restoration · ecosystem restoration · habitat restoration · rewilding · reforestation
ecological harmconservation
Preventing waste or loss
environmental protection · ecological preservation · environmental stewardship · habitat conservation · wildlife protection
ecological harmecological health
Ecosystem functioning and resilience
ecosystem health · environmental health · ecological balance · biodiversity · pristine environment