overharvest
/ˌoʊvərˈhɑrvɪst/
noun
- An instance or practice of harvesting too much of a resource.
- The overharvest of timber led to severe erosion in the region.
- The government imposed limits to prevent overharvest of wild plants.
- Scientists warned that the overharvest of shellfish would destroy the ecosystem.
verb
- To harvest (a natural resource) too much, so that it cannot regenerate or is depleted.
- Farmers who overharvest their soil without rotating crops damage the land.
- If we overharvest the forest, there will be no trees left for future generations.
- Fishermen overharvest the ocean, causing fish populations to collapse.