Overexploitation
![Atlantic cod stocks were severely overexploited in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to their abrupt collapse in 1992.[1]](/uploads/202501/31/Surexploitation_morue_surpêcheEn0449.jpg)
![When the giant flightless birds called moa were overexploited to the point of extinction,[4] the giant Haast's eagle that preyed on them also became extinct[5]](/uploads/202501/31/Giant_Haasts_eagle_attacking_New_Zealand_moa0449.jpg)


Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Sustained overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource. The term applies to natural resources such as: wild medicinal plants, grazing pastures, game animals, fish stocks, forests, and water aquifers.