Environmental (Commonwealth Union)_ Global wildlife populations have declined by an alarming 73% over the past 50 years, according to the latest assessment by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). This sharp drop highlights the growing pressure human activities have placed on ecosystems, threatening to push many to the brink of collapse.
The Living Planet Report, based on the Living Planet Index, reveals the most severe declines in Latin America and the Caribbean, where wildlife populations have plummeted by 95%, followed by Africa at 76%, and Asia and the Pacific at 60%. Europe and North America have experienced comparatively lower declines, at 35% and 39%, respectively. Scientists attribute these differences to the fact that Europe and North America suffered major wildlife losses before 1970, with other regions now catching up.
The report paints a troubling picture for the future. Experts warn that the rate of wildlife loss could accelerate as global warming intensifies. The Amazon rainforest, Arctic, and marine ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to tipping points, which could trigger catastrophic changes for both nature and human society.
Matthew Gould, ZSL’s chief executive, stressed the urgency of the situation: “We are dangerously close to tipping points for nature loss and climate change. But we know nature can recover, given the opportunity, and that we still have the chance to act.”
The Living Planet Index tracks trends in nearly 35,000 populations of over 5,000 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Although it is a leading indicator of wildlife health, it has faced some criticism for potentially overstating declines due to its weighting in favor of data from regions like Africa and Latin America, where information is less reliable but where declines are more dramatic. Nonetheless, other indicators, such as the IUCN Red List, corroborate the findings. The IUCN has assessed over 160,000 species, nearly a third of which are at risk of extinction. Among those, 41% of amphibians, 26% of mammals, and 34% of conifer trees are at risk.
In response to the findings, Susana Muhamad, Colombia’s environment minister and president of the upcoming Cop16 biodiversity summit, called for urgent action: “We must listen to science and take action to avoid collapse. We are reaching points of no return, and we are witnessing the effects of deforestation, climate change, and the collapse of life-support systems on our planet.”
The leading cause of wildlife loss is land-use change, as agricultural expansion continues to destroy ecosystems, particularly tropical rainforests. Mike Barrett, WWF-UK’s director of science and conservation, criticized countries like the UK for contributing to this destruction by importing food and livestock feed grown in areas that were once wild ecosystems.
Barrett added, “Our natural habitats are losing their resilience. Climate change is now exacerbating the already degraded ecosystems, driving a more profound and irreversible transformation.”
The stark findings come just days ahead of Cop16, where world leaders will meet to discuss strategies to halt the rapid decline of biodiversity. As scientists and conservationists call for immediate, decisive action, the hope is that the new decade will mark a turning point in humanity’s efforts to preserve the planet’s remaining wildlife.
