The latest “Living Planet” report by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London finds that the populations of vertebrate species across the globe have decreased in size by 73% on average over the past 50 years. Factors contributing to this decline include habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change.
The study does not tally the total number of animals lost or gained but rather measures the relative abundance of populations. Thus, the loss of 50 monkeys out of a population of 100 is the same 50% loss as experienced by a colony of 20,000 bats that dropped to 10,000.
The declines vary greatly by geography. Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a 95% decline on average. North America, Europe, and Central Asia combined saw a 25% decline. African populations declined by 80% and the rest of Asia and the Pacific region declined by 49%.
Bright spots in vertebrate populations were species targeted by conservation initiatives and those benefited by strict industry regulations. Green sea turtles were actually taken off the endangered species list. Other success stories included tigers, Southern African elephants, and bluefin tuna.
The long-term future of the world’s biodiversity highly depends on fundamental shifts in behavior of society, particularly with respect to food, energy, and finance. The world has to go after the root causes of biodiversity decline. It cannot be stopped on a species-by-species basis.
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References:
Wildlife Populations Have Plunged Globally, But Some Buck the Trend
