What do WWII battles, ballistic missiles, and the deadly brown tree snake have in common?
There has been a staggering 73% decline in the wildlife populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish across the globe in the last 50 years, declares the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in its 2024 Living Planet Report.
It adds that unless we stop treating these emergencies as two separate issues, neither problem will be addressed effectively. Indeed, biodiversity loss and the climate crisis need to be dealt with as one instead of two different issues, as they are intertwined.
Freshwater populations have declined the most, with an average 83% reduction between 1970 and 2018.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, cyads, a prehistoric group of seed plants, are the most threatened species.
Corals are declining the fastest. About 50% of warm water corals have already been lost. A warming of 1.5°C (34.7°F) will lead to a loss of 70–90% of warm water corals, the report warns.
The second-fastest declining species group are amphibians. Pictured is the critically endangered lemur leaf frog.
The report identified Latin America and the Caribbean as the regions recording the highest decline in wildlife populations, at a worrying 94%.
Africa recorded a dramatic 66% fall in its wildlife populations over the last 50 years or so.
Southeast Asia is the region where species are most likely to face threats at a significant level. Pictured are a pair of near-threatened blue-naped parrots.
Wildlife populations in the Asia Pacific region fell by 55%. Pictured are endangered spectacled langurs.
The polar regions and the east coast of Australia and South Africa have been identified as showing the highest impact probabilities for climate change, stresses the report, driven in particular by impact on birds.
The Living Planet Report cites the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sundarbans (pictured) as an example of extreme mangrove habitat loss. Around 137 km² (52 mi²) of the Sundarbands mangrove forest in India and Bangladesh has been eroded since 1985.
Mangroves continue to be lost to aquaculture, agriculture, and coastal development at an alarming rate of 0.13% per year. In fact, mangrove deficit represents loss of habitat for biodiversity and the loss of ecosystem services for coastal communities.
The Bramble Cay melomys, a diminutive Australian rodent endemic to the isolated Bramble Cay (pictured) near the Great Barrier Reef, was declared extinct by the IUCN in 2015—the first loss of a mammal species due to global warming and sea-level rise. Image: NASA
The global abundance of 18 of 31 oceanic sharks has declined by a shocking 71% over the last 50 years. The report stressed that over three-quarters of shark and rays species are now threatened with extinction. Pictured is the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark swimming close to the surface followed by pilot-fish.
Only 37% of rivers longer than 1,000 km (621 mi), like the Rhine (pictured) for example, remain free-flowing over their entire length.
The 41% land-use change recorded is the biggest current threat to nature. The report urges urgent action to reverse biodiversity loss by the end of 2023 and keep global warming to a maximum 1.5°C (34.7°F).
The Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) ranges from 100–0%. If the BII is 90% or more, the area has enough biodiversity to be a resilient and functioning ecosystem. Anything under this figure means ecosystems may function less well and less reliably. If the BII is 30% or less, the area's biodiversity has been depleted and the ecosystem could be at risk of collapse.
The report challenges us to adopt more sustainable, healthy, and culturally appropriate diets. By doing so, we can reduce agricultural land use by 41% and wildlife loss up to 46%.
By recognizing the importance of Indigenous leadership in conservation, we (re)open a door to an approach to conservation that respects the inherent interconnections between people and place.
In a case study, the report says India's Himalayan region and the Western Ghats (pictured) represent some of the most vulnerable regions in the country in terms of biodiversity loss, and where increased biodiversity loss is expected in the future if temperatures continue to rise.
The WWF has identified six key threats to biodiversity: agriculture, hunting, logging, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. Collectively, these are "threat hotspots" for terrestrial vertebrates.
Habitat loss and barriers to migration routes such as dams were responsible for about half of the threats to monitored migratory fish species.
The WWF stresses that we are facing the double emergencies of human-induced climate change and biodiversity loss. This threatens the well-being of current and future generations.
Agriculture is the most prevalent threat to amphibians (animals that live both on land and in water). Water pollution from incorrect or overuse of crop pesticides is one example of the threat posed.
Hunting and trapping, add the WWF, are most likely to threaten birds and animals.
The report devoted a page calling for urgent action to protect 80% of the Amazon by 2025 to avert an imminent tipping point and planetary crisis.
The evidence presented in the 2022 Living Planet Report is clear: the pressure humanity is placing on the natural world is driving an escalating nature crisis. But there is still time to act.
The way forward is to secure a nature-positive world this decade, believes the WWF. Encouragingly, momentum is building. Nearly 100 world leaders have endorsed a Leaders' Pledge for Nature, committing to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. And the G7 have signaled their ambition to adopt an all-inclusive collective approach to protecting the natural world.
And, concludes the report, this all-inclusive collective approach can be taken by everyone, adopted nationally and globally to urgently transform our relationship with nature.
Sources: (Living Planet Report) (IUCN Red List) (The Guardian) (Leaders Pledge for Nature)
There is still time to act, but this requires measures that go beyond conservation. Instead, we must all adopt what the WWF describes as a nature-positive attitude.
So, what are they saying? Click through for a summary of the main outcomes of the Living Planet Report.
Why have wildlife populations declined by 73%?
Understanding the alarming factors impacting our ecosystems
LIFESTYLE Living planet report
The Living Planet Report published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London provides a snapshot of the health of our natural world. According to this report, over the past 50 years, global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73%, putting many ecosystems at risk. The main threats to wildlife include habitat degradation, diseases, invasive species, climate change, and pollution.
There is still time to act, but this requires measures that go beyond conservation. Instead, we must all adopt what the WWF describes as a nature-positive attitude.
So, what are they saying? Click through for a summary of the main outcomes of the Living Planet Report.