‘Staggering’ 69% Drop in Animal Populations Signals ‘Devastating Biodiversity Crisis’
A sweeping report published Thursday by one of the world’s largest conservation groups found Earth’s vertebrate animal populations experienced an average decline of nearly 70% between 1970 and 2018.
A sweeping report published Thursday by one of the world’s largest conservation groups finds that Earth’s vertebrate animal populations experienced an average decline of nearly 70% between 1970 and 2018, a staggering drop that experts attribute to the worsening climate crisis, pollution, the large-scale destruction of forests and continued human exploitation of wildlife.
The World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2022, which the group calls its most comprehensive study to date, estimates that tens of thousands of monitored mammal, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish populations have seen an average 69% decline in relative abundance over just a 50-year period, a blaring signal that the planet is in the midst of a devastating biodiversity crisis.
“The message is clear and the lights are flashing red,” states the new report, which examines nearly 32,000 species populations across the planet — from the oceanic whitetip shark to the Amazon pink river dolphin to Darwin’s frog — to spotlight what it describes as the twin emergencies of climate change and species decline.
A sweeping report published Thursday by one of the world’s largest conservation groups finds that Earth’s vertebrate animal populations experienced an average decline of nearly 70% between 1970 and 2018, a staggering drop that experts attribute to the worsening climate crisis, pollution, the large-scale destruction of forests and continued human exploitation of wildlife.
The World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2022, which the group calls its most comprehensive study to date, estimates that tens of thousands of monitored mammal, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish populations have seen an average 69% decline in relative abundance over just a 50-year period, a blaring signal that the planet is in the midst of a devastating biodiversity crisis.
“The message is clear and the lights are flashing red,” states the new report, which examines nearly 32,000 species populations across the planet — from the oceanic whitetip shark to the Amazon pink river dolphin to Darwin’s frog — to spotlight what it describes as the twin emergencies of climate change and species decline.
“Climate change is having a dramatic impact on our natural environment,” the report notes.
“Some species are dying out while others are having to move where they live due to changes in air temperature, weather patterns, and sea levels. As well as being a direct driver of biodiversity loss, climate change also worsens the other drivers.” Drop in Animal Populations Signals Devastating Biodiversity Crisis
WWF warns that animal populations in its freshwater Living Planet Index “have been hit the hardest, declining by an average of 83%” thanks to myriad factors, including pollution and massive species exploitation. Regionally, Latin America — home to the rapidly deteriorating Amazon rainforest — has seen the largest decline in average population abundance at 94%.
“These plunges in wildlife populations can have dire consequences for our health and economies,” said Rebecca Shaw, WWF’s global chief scientist.
“When wildlife populations decline to this degree, it means dramatic changes are impacting their habitats and the food and water they rely on. We should care deeply about the unraveling of natural systems because these same resources sustain human life.” Ref: Originally published by Common Dreams. Jake Johnson is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
