Global populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians have declined, on average, by 60 perent since 1970s, said the World Wildlife Fund in its Living Planet Report 2018 on Monday. “The top threats to species identified in the report are directly linked to human activities, including habitat loss and degradation and over-exploitation of wildlife,” said WWF.
The report follows the warning of the UN International Panel on Climate Change early this month that “rapid and far-reaching changes” in human activity are needed to limit the rise in global temperatures due to greenhouse gases and to limit the impact on food production and the environment.
“It’s time to balance our consumption with the needs of nature and to protect the only planet that is our home,” said WWF chief executive Carter Roberts.” The environmental organization called for “a global deal for nature and people,” such as the Paris Accord on climate change, to protect biodiversity from further declines.
Through the “living planet index” (LPI), the report tracked 16,704 populations of 4,005 vertibrate species from 1970 through 2014 for the report. “The statistics are scary but all hope is not lost,” said the Zoological Society of London, which was responsible for producing the LPI. The WWF said 20 percent of the Amazon rain forest has disappeared in the past 50 years.