To overharvest means to take too much of something from nature, removing it faster than it can naturally replace itself. When fishermen overharvest a lake, they catch so many fish that not enough remain to reproduce and keep the population healthy. When people overharvest trees from a forest without replanting, they clear it faster than new trees can grow back.

The consequences of overharvesting can be severe and long-lasting. When Atlantic cod were overharvested in the 1990s, the fish population crashed so dramatically that the fishing industry collapsed, and the cod still haven't fully recovered decades later. Overharvesting passenger pigeons, once the most abundant bird in North America, led directly to their extinction in the early 1900s.

The word applies to any natural resource: medicinal plants, timber, wild game, or even water from an aquifer. Sustainable harvesting means taking only what nature can replace, leaving enough behind for future growth. Overharvesting, in contrast, treats natural resources as if they're unlimited when they're actually limited and fragile.

Scientists and resource managers work to prevent overharvesting by setting limits on how much can be taken, establishing protected areas, and monitoring populations to ensure they stay healthy.