70% of Animal Species Around the World Has Been Wiped Out in Just 50 Years

According to a major scientific report, Earth's animal populations have declined by an average of 69% in little under 50 years as people continue to destroy forests, consume beyond the planet's limitations, and pollute on an industrial scale.

According to the WWF and Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) yearly Living Planet Report, the quantity of birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles has declined by more than two-thirds between 1970 and 2018, from the open ocean to tropical rainforests.

Two years ago, it was 68%, and it was 60% four years ago.

Almost 70% of animal populations were wiped out

(Photo : Thomas Lefebvre/Unsplash)

Many experts think we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, the greatest loss of life on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, and that it is being fueled by people.

The report's 89 authors are encouraging world leaders to negotiate an ambitious deal at the Cop15 biodiversity meeting in Canada this December, as well as to reduce carbon emissions to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius this decade, to prevent the widespread destruction of wildlife.

The Living Planet Index combines the worldwide study of 32,000 populations of 5,230 animal species to evaluate changes in wildlife abundance across continents and taxa, yielding a graph resembling a stock index of life on Earth, as per The Guardian.

The region of Latin America and the Caribbean, including the Amazon, has suffered the highest fall in average animal population size, with a 94% loss in 48 years.

"This research reminds us that the steepest decreases are in the Latin America area, home to the world's largest rainforest, the Amazon," said Tanya Steele, CEO of WWF-UK.

Deforestation rates are increasing, depriving this unique ecosystem not just of trees but also of the fauna that relies on them, as well as the Amazon's capacity to function as one of our most powerful allies in the battle against climate change.

Africa had the greatest drop, at 66%, followed by Asia and the Pacific (55%), and North America (20%).

Europe and Central Asia had an 18% drop.

According to the research, the overall loss is equivalent to the disappearance of the human population of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Oceania, and China.

Despite the research, catastrophic forecasts, heated speeches and pledges, burning forests, drowned nations, record temperatures, and uprooted millions, world leaders continue to sit back and watch our globe burn in front of our eyes, according to Steele.

The climatic and environmental challenges, which are inextricably linked, are not some distant menace that our generations will tackle with yet-to-be-discovered technologies.

According to the research, land use change is still the most important cause of biodiversity loss in the world.

According to Mike Barrett, executive head of science and conservation at WWF-UK, "at a global level, the decreases we are witnessing are principally driven by habitat loss and fragmentation caused by the global agricultural system and its spread into intact habitat converting it to generate food."

The researchers emphasized how difficult it is for animals to move through terrestrial areas because of infrastructure and farms.

Only 37% of rivers longer than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) are free-flowing over their entire length, while only 10% of the world's protected areas on land are linked.

Also Read: Scientists Presents Timeline for the Possibility of Earth's Sixth Mass Extinction

What is the cause of the sixth mass extinction?

Unlike earlier extinction events caused by natural causes, the sixth mass extinction is caused by human action, namely (but not exclusively) unsustainable land, water, and energy consumption, as well as climate change, as per the WWF.

According to the Living Planet Report, 30% of all biodiversity-sustaining land has been turned to food cultivation.

Agriculture is also responsible for 80% of global deforestation and 70% of freshwater consumption on the earth, wreaking havoc on the animals that live there by drastically changing their ecosystems.

It seems obvious that one of the most serious human-caused dangers to species extinction and our ecosystems is where and how food is generated.

To make matters worse, unsustainable food production and consumption contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving global temperatures to rise and wreaking havoc throughout the world.

Everything from severe droughts to more frequent and violent storms is being exacerbated by climate catastrophes.

It also exacerbates the food-production issues that stress animals while producing conditions that make their habitats unsuitable.

Droughts and floods have made it more difficult in certain areas to maintain crops and generate enough food.

The interconnected links between the food system, climate change, and biodiversity loss are putting enormous strain on our world.

Species do not live in isolation; they are inextricably linked.

A single species interacts with many other species in ways that benefit humanity, such as clean air, clean water, and good soils for efficient food production.

When one species in an ecosystem becomes extinct or its population numbers decrease drastically to the point that it cannot perform its critical function, other species suffer, affecting how the ecosystem operates and the benefits it offers.

And the risk of species extinction is increasing. Monitoring these changes is critical since they reflect the overall health of the ecosystem.

Serious losses in species numbers are an indication that the ecosystem is failing, foreshadowing a bigger system catastrophe.