overharvesting
/ˌoʊvərˈhɑːrvəstɪŋ/
verb
- To take too many plants or animals from a natural area, causing harm to the population or ecosystem.
- Farmers who overharvest their land without rotating crops damage the soil.
- If we keep overharvesting the clam beds, there won't be any left for next season.
- The company was fined for overharvesting protected seaweed along the coast.
Synonyms
Antonyms
noun
- The act of taking too many plants or animals from a natural area, so that the population cannot recover.
- Conservationists warn that overharvesting of wild ginseng could make it extinct.
- Overharvesting of fish has led to the collapse of many ocean fisheries.
- The forest suffered from overharvesting of timber for decades.