According to the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet report 2022, wildlife populations of vertebrates have decreased to an average of 69 percent since 1970.
The report reveals that the species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish have declined to an average of 69 percent in 50 years which was much faster than the predictions. Four years ago 60 percent of wildlife had declined and two years ago the percentage was at 68.
The Living Planet Report 2022 is a study to analyze and understand the global biodiversity and the health of the planet earth. Conservationists and environmentalists have shown serious concerns after the Living Planet Report was revealed and have urged governments, businesses, and the public to conserve nature before its further degradation. The Living Planet Index (LPI) was produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which is an international conservation charity committed to saving endangered wildlife populations.
The 2022 LPI has analyzed nearly 32,000 populations of more than 5,000 species. It estimates how wildlife will respond to the environmental pressures caused by climatic change and biodiversity loss. It was found that the freshwater populations were hit hardest. These species have shown an average of 83 percent decline since 1970. The ground causes were found to be the barriers to migration and the habitat loss of these species. The report identified that the Amazon pink river Dolphin declined by 65 percent in population between 1994 and 2016. Also, the Eastern Lowland gorilla population saw a decline of 80 percent between 1994 and 2019.
African forest elephant, and the Sumatran elephant. The former inhabits the dense rainforests of west and central Africa and is essential for the germination of many trees in these forests. The Sumatran elephant lives in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra. They are endangered by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and deforestation.
Although, Europe and Central Asia have shown less decline in species. But the findings revealed that between 1970 and 2018, there was a 94 percent decline in Latin America and the Caribbean, which was highest among the other regions. Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific region has shown an average of 55 percent decline. Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF-UK, said, “This report tells us that the worst declines are in the Latin America region, home to the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon. Deforestation rates there are accelerating, stripping this unique ecosystem not just of trees but of the wildlife that depends on them and of the Amazon’s ability to act as one of our greatest allies in the fight against climate change.”
It was found that over-exploitation, climate change, and pollution were among the key factors to degrade these biodiverse regions and resulted in the severe decline of wildlife populations. The world’s leading scientists demand urgent action to finalize an agreement in December at the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD (COP15)which is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to conserve and restore nature.
“In the US, Congress should finalize this year’s funding bills with significant increases for global conservation programs,” says Carter Roberts, president, and CEO of WWF-US. “Doing so would empower the federal government to drive greater progress in conserving and restoring nature, and send a signal to other countries that it expects other actors to do the same.”
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