The recently published Living Planet Report documents a dramatic loss of wildlife over the last 50 years, from 1970 to 2020. Overall, monitored wildlife populations shrank by 73%, with the sharpest declines observed in Latin America.
To compile the report, researchers with the U.K. conservation charity Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and WWF looked at more than 5,000 species of amphibians, mammals, birds, fish and reptiles worldwide.
The researchers found a 76% decline in wildlife populations in Africa and a 60% decrease in Asia and the Pacific. North America and Europe fared better, with declines of 39% and 35%, respectively. The latter regions’ less dramatic declines can be attributed to the fact that Europe and North America were already largely developed before 1970, the benchmark year of the study, by when “large-scale impacts on nature were already apparent,” the researchers note.
The most concerning regional decline was found in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 95% of monitored wildlife populations have shrunk in size.
“There are a lot of threats in the region with the loss of habitat, and climate change is making things worse, especially for particular taxonomic groups, such as amphibians. It’s just a very biodiverse region where a lot of change can happen as a result of these threats,” Stefanie Deinet, joint manager of the Living Planet Index Project with ZSL, told Mongabay by phone.
Several factors contribute to the alarming loss of wildlife; habitat loss, largely driven by agriculture, is the most frequently cited. Invasive species, overexploitation, disease, pollution and climate change are also significant drivers of the ongoing declines.
The loss of wildlife can have far-reaching effects on ecosystems.
“When a population falls below a certain level, that species may not be able to perform its usual role within the ecosystem — whether that’s seed dispersal, pollination, grazing, nutrient cycling or the many other processes that keep ecosystems functioning,” the study notes, adding that without functioning ecosystems, human populations could suffer.
If current trends continue, the report warns, we may reach tipping points for several critically important ecosystems. Meaning, even if populations rebound it may be too late to reverse the damage done. The Amazon Rainforest, for example, could soon turn from a carbon sink to a permanent carbon source, which would upend the world’s carbon budget and destabilize weather patterns far beyond the Amazon itself. Likewise, the study notes that the mass die-off of coral reefs could soon reach a tipping point, hindering their ability to provide critical food and storm protection for coastal communities.
To turn the tide on wildlife declines, the report recommends major transformations across several aspects of society, including our food, energy and financing systems.
It’s an ambitious undertaking, the report concludes, but, “Together, we must be successful. We have just one living planet, and one opportunity to get it right,” the authors write.
Banner image: by Rhett A. Butler/ Mongabay.
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