The latest edition of a landmark assessment by the WWF has found that wild populations of monitored animal species have plummeted over 70 percent in the last half century.
The WWF Living Planet Index that tracks trends in the abundance of a large number of species, showed accelerating declines of animal populations across the globe. In biodiversity-rich regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, the figure for animal population loss is as high as 95 percent.
It found that populations under review had fallen 73 percent since 1970, mostly due to human pressures.
The report reiterated the need to simultaneously confront the “interconnected” crises of climate change and nature destruction, and warned of major “tipping points” approaching certain ecosystems.
“The changes could be irreversible, with devastating consequences for humanity,” said Daudi Sumba, chief conservation officer at WWF. He used the example of deforestation in the Amazon, which could “shift this critical ecosystem from a carbon sink to a carbon source.”
“Habitat degradation and loss, primarily driven by our food system, is the most reported threat in each region, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, and disease,” the report said.
Other threats include climate change, in particular in Latin America and the Caribbean, and pollution, notability in North America and the Pacific.
The biggest decline is found in populations of freshwater species, followed by terrestrial and marine vertebrates.
Per continent, the average decline reached 95% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 76% in Africa, and then 60% in Asia and the Pacific.
Despite the general decline, there have been some wins, as some populations have stabilized or even expanded due to conservation efforts and the reintroduction of species.
Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International, said the picture being painted is incredibly concerning. However, she also believes that we are not yet past the point of no return.
Global efforts to protect the planet from pollution, degradation, and climate change can still make a difference
The collective impacts of the loss of biodiversity and animal species cannot be underestimated as far as the highly sensitive ecosystem of the only planet we live in is concerned.
Any break in the food chain could lead to further losses that could end up directly affecting human life as we know it. With so many other concerns, especially on climate change and global warming, it is easy to forget our obligation to protect biodiversity, but let us not wait to act until it is too late, as replacing lost species has proven to be infinitely more difficult than any effort to preserve them, especially if those that we end up losing turn out to be critical in our own survival as a species.*