What term refers to the exploitation of species through hunting, fishing, and trade that can lead to extinction?

The term that specifically refers to the exploitation of species through activities such as hunting, fishing, and trade, which can ultimately lead to extinction, is known as Direct Exploitation. This concept encompasses the direct removal of individual organisms from their natural environments for various human uses, which can severely impact population numbers, disrupt ecosystems, and threaten species survival.

Direct Exploitation highlights the human impact on wildlife populations, emphasizing that excessive hunting or fishing pressures can diminish species that are already vulnerable. It indicates how the unsustainable use of wildlife resources can lead to declines in biodiversity, making it crucial for conservation efforts to address these practices to prevent further extinctions.

In contrast, other terms such as Habitat Destruction refer to the loss of natural environments which can also contribute to extinction but focuses on the change in habitats rather than direct actions taken against the species themselves. Global Warming pertains to climate change and its effects on ecosystems rather than direct exploitation, while Genetic Drift relates to changes in allele frequencies in populations over time due to chance events, not to human actions like hunting or fishing.