overexploitation

[ oh-ver-ek-sploi-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. excessive utilization, especially for profit; overuse:

   Tourism in coastal areas often results in the overexploitation of local seafood species.

Word History and Origins

Origin of overexploitation¹

over- ( def ) + exploitation ( def )

Example Sentences

Recent losses have been highest in Latin America, where animal populations have declined by 95%, mainly due to habitat destruction and overexploitation.

From BBC

The report found habitat degradation and loss was the biggest threat to wildlife, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, disease, climate change and pollution.

From BBC

Experts also studied how to best seal fissures in eastern Mexico City, where the overexploitation of groundwater had caused the land to subside.

From Science Magazine

Humans' overexploitation of dwindling groundwater can limit oasis sustainability, as well as long-term glacier loss.

From Science Daily

The chain of events in Budongo also shows how human overexploitation of a resource can have “potentially catastrophic” implications for emerging pathogens, Gagneux says, by exposing animals to huge numbers of viruses.

From Science Magazine