According to the latest comprehensive evaluation by WWF, the wild populations of various monitored animal species have seen a staggering decline of over 70% in the past fifty years.
This sobering assessment is powered by data from an impressive 35,000 populations spanning more than 5,000 distinct species, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. The WWF Living Planet Index reveals a disturbing trend of accelerating declines across the globe.
Particularly alarming is the situation in biodiversity-rich areas like Latin America and the Caribbean, where animal populations have plummeted by as much as an eye-watering 95%.
It’s essential to clarify that the report focuses on trends in species abundance rather than tracking the numbers of individual animals.
The Living Planet Index has become a reference point in global discussions and arrives just ahead of the upcoming UN summit on biodiversity, where the dire state of the environment will be front and center in Colombia later this month.
“What we’re revealing is extraordinarily alarming,” stated Kirsten Schuijt, director of WWF International, during a press conference.
Tipping Points
“This issue extends beyond wildlife; it’s intrinsically linked to the vital ecosystems that underpin human existence,” emphasized Daudi Sumba, WWF’s chief conservation officer.
The report underscores the urgent need to address the “interconnected” crises of climate change and environmental degradation, warning that certain ecosystems are nearing critical “tipping points.”
“What’s at stake is monumental and could be irreversible, leading to catastrophic outcomes for humanity,” he stated, pointing to the deforestation crisis in the Amazon, which risks transforming this essential ecosystem from a carbon sink into a carbon source.
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“Habitat destruction and degradation—primarily driven by our food production systems—emerge as the most significant threat across every region,” the report noted. Overexploitation, invasive species, and diseases also pose serious challenges.
Other threats loom large, including climate change, which has particularly dire implications in Latin America and the Caribbean, along with pollution, notably impacting North America, Asia, and the Pacific.
‘Extraordinarily Alarming’
The most significant reductions were observed in freshwater species, followed closely by declines in terrestrial and marine vertebrates.
“We’ve stripped our oceans of an astonishing 40% of their total biomass,” remarked Yann Laurans of WWF France.
When looking at trends continent by continent, a shocking average decline of 95% emerges in Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by Africa at 76%, and Asia and the Pacific at a drop of 60%.
In contrast, populations in Europe, Central Asia, and North America showed a somewhat “less appalling” decline.
However, it’s noteworthy that some populations have rebounded or stabilized due to concerted conservation efforts and successful species reintroductions. For instance, the European bison vanished from the wild in 1927, yet by 2020, their numbers had swelled to 6,800, thanks to large-scale breeding and successful reintroduction initiatives, primarily in protected areas.
While acknowledging the overall situation as “extraordinarily alarming,” Ms. Schuijt expressed optimism, stating, “We have not yet crossed the point of no return.”
She highlighted global initiatives, including a major pact forged at the last UN biodiversity meeting in 2022, aimed at protecting 30% of the planet from pollution, degradation, and climate change by 2030.
Yet, she cautioned, “All these agreements have crucial checkpoints set for 2030, and we risk missing them.”
Several scholarly articles published in the journal Nature have raised concerns about potential biases in WWF’s methodologies, suggesting that they may lead to an inflated perception of animal population declines.
“We stand firmly behind the credibility of our findings,” asserted Andrew Terry from the Zoological Society of London during a press briefing, emphasizing the diversity of indicators used, including extinction risk, biodiversity, and ecosystem health, to present a comprehensive overview.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
