Humans Have Destroyed Two-Thirds of World’s Wildlife in Last 50 Years, WWF Report Reveals
Leading conservation group WWF has assessed the state of our living planet and its inhabitants, and their findings offer a dire warning that we must act before it’s too late.
A landmark report by leading conservationists has found that around two-thirds of the world’s wildlife has been wiped out.
Population sizes of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have declined an average of 68 percent between 1970 and 2016, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2020.
The extraordinary rate at which nature is being destroyed is down to humanity’s growing population and level of consumption. As part of humanity’s expanding reach, the report reveals that the most important direct driver for loss of biodiversity, is “the conversion of … forests, grasslands, and mangroves, into agricultural systems”.
Around half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture, with 71 percent of that land used for livestock, animal grazing, or to grow animal feed. Animal agriculture’s huge and intensive environmental footprint means that, despite using so much of the world’s land supply, the end product - meat and dairy products - only make up 17 percent of global caloric supply.
“This report reminds us that we destroy the planet at our peril - because it is our home. As humanity’s footprint expands into once-wild places, we’re devastating species populations”, says WWF-US President and CEO Carter Roberts.
And experts warn that the destruction of nature and biodiversity is a threat to humanity everywhere.
“We’re also exacerbating climate change and increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19. We cannot shield humanity from the impacts of environmental destruction. It’s time to restore our broken relationship with nature for the benefit of species and people alike”, Roberts warns.
WWF says that there are essential and urgent actions that can help restore the health of our living planet, which include transforming food production and consumption, aggressive movement to tackle climate change, and investments that conserve, protect, and restore nature.
In short, WWF is calling on world leaders to “treat biodiversity conservation as a non-negotiable and strategic investment to preserve human health, wealth, and security”.
If their urgent call is responded to, then there is hope, as current modelling predicts that these declining trends can be flattened and reversed.
“While the trends are alarming, there is reason to remain optimistic”, explains WWF Global Chief Scientist Rebecca Shaw. “Young generations are becoming acutely aware of the link between planetary health and their own futures, and they are demanding action from our leaders. We must support them in their fight for a just and sustainable planet.”
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