New Report - Wildlife Populations Have Dropped 69% Since 1970

 

“Today we face the double, interlinked emergencies of human-induced climate change and the loss of biodiversity, threatening the well-being of current and future generations.”

 

So begins the executive summary of the Living Planet Report 2022. Released every two years by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the study examines global biodiversity and the health of the planet. The latest report reveals an average 69% drop in world vertebrate species in less than 50 years.

 

Links:

https://livingplanet.panda.org/pt-PT/

https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/ 

 

The report considers nearly 32,000 populations of 5,230 species from the Living Planet Index (LPI). Provided by the Zoological Society of London, the index tracks trends in species abundance around the world. This year’s report includes data on more than 838 new species and 11,000 new populations since the last report was released in 2020.

 

In addition to putting numbers to species declines, the report shows the threats behind those drops, how these statistics relate to planetary health, and offers possible solutions.

 

The report details the connection between climate change and biodiversity loss and focuses on some species that have plummeted, as well as some that have rebounded.

 

For example:

 

There was an estimated 80% plunge in the population of eastern lowland gorillas in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1994 and 2019. The main threat to the species, also known as Grauer’s gorilla, is hunting.

 

Hunting was one of the main causes of the 64% decline in Australian sea lion pups in South and Western Australia between 1977 and 2019. The pups are also often caught in fishing gear and die from diseases.

 

But there have been some promising discoveries with species that have been recovering.

 

The population of loggerhead turtle nests grew by 500% on the coast of Chrysochou Bay in Cyprus from 1999 to 2015. Credit conservation efforts that include relocating nests and using cages to protect others from predators.

 

Conservation measures have also helped mountain gorillas. In the Virunga Mountains along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda, populations of mountain gorillas increased to 604 animals, up from 480 gorillas in 2010.

 

Rebecca Shaw, WWF's chief scientist, spoke to Treehugger about the highlights and lowlight of the report.

 

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Why is this report important?

 

This report is an indicator of overall ecosystem health from the lens of biodiversity, the web of life that supplies the clean air, water, and soil we all rely on. These findings are a red flag that warns of a larger systems failure on the horizon. Even one species population decline can affect other species, eventually impacting an ecosystem’s ability to function. While some fluctuation in population sizes is natural, the current trends are severe enough to threaten many life-sustaining systems. Humans depend on a stable climate, predictable precipitation patterns, and productive farmland and fisheries to thrive. Our planet needs us to take action now so that it can continue to support future generations.

 

Links:

https://www.treehugger.com/wildlife-populations-dropped-69-finds-wwf-report-6747779 

https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/ 

https://livingplanet.panda.org/pt-PT/

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