FALL OF THE WILD
Numbers of animals drop to a third of 1970 levels
WILDLIFe populations have shrunk by more than two-thirds in 50 years, conservationists warn today.
Nature is said to be in ‘freefall’, with animals from African elephants to leatherback turtles on the decline.
In Britain, numbers of grey partridges, puffins, bees and Arctic skua seabirds are tumbling, according to the Living Planet Report released today by conservation charity WWF.
The Living Planet Index, produced as part of the report, tracked almost 21,000 species of mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish.
It found wildlife populations fell in size by a ‘catastrophic’ average of 68 per cent between 1970 and 2016 – the most recent year for which data is available. Wildlife are struggling principally because their habitats, such as forests, grasslands and wetlands, are being turned into farmland, while oceans are being overfished.
Sir David Attenborough wrote an essay to accompany the report, describing the Anthropocene – a new geological age defined by humanity’s impact on earth and its animals. he said: ‘The Anthropocene could be the moment we achieve a balance with the rest of the natural world and become stewards of our planet.’
But the naturalist and broadcaster added: ‘It will require a change in perspective.
‘A change from viewing nature as something that’s optional or
“nice to have” to the single greatest ally we have in restoring balance to our world.’
The WWF is calling for action to reduce the impact of farming, and cut food waste, as a third of food produced is thrown away or wasted.
The report notes that almost one in three freshwater species face extinction, with larger animals like hippos, sturgeons and river dolphins particularly vulnerable. Populations of creatures living in freshwater habiseen tats fell by 84 per cent on average between 1970 and 2016.
Almost half of the species looked at in the Living Planet Index, which is compiled by the Zoological Society of London, have declined.
Seabirds affected in the UK include puffins, which are less able to find the sandeels they feed on because of climate change and overfishing.
Bees, hoverflies, large moths and ground beetles are among UK insect species that have their numbers fall. Tanya Steele, chief executive of WWF, said: ‘We are in a fight for our world – we now know what needs to be done, and paper promises won’t be enough.
‘In the UK we need to fasttrack tough new nature laws that protect our wildlife at home and abroad.’
WWF is calling for national laws to stop our supply chains from driving deforestation, and for a shift from meat and dairy to more plant-based diets.
‘River dolphins face extinction’