Wildlife in decline by almost 70% since 1970, says report - BBC News
Summary
TLDRThe Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) warns of an urgent need for global action to protect wildlife and biodiversity, following a report showing a 70% decline in wildlife populations since 1970. The report highlights the severe impact of habitat destruction and climate change, particularly in regions like the Amazon. WWF stresses that immediate measures from governments, businesses, and the public are crucial to reverse this trend. Without action, both wildlife and humanity face severe consequences. Global leaders are urged to prioritize nature conservation at upcoming international meetings.
Takeaways
- 🌍 Wildlife populations have fallen by nearly 70% since 1970, highlighting a dire need for global support to protect biodiversity.
- 🐆 The Amazon and other regions in Latin America have experienced the most significant decline, with a 94% decrease in wildlife populations over the past 50 years.
- 🐠 Freshwater species, including those in lakes and wetlands, have seen an 83% decline, making them some of the most affected by biodiversity loss.
- 📉 The report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warns that this drastic decline is due to habitat destruction, climate change, and human activity.
- 🌿 The UK is considered one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with only half of its natural richness remaining.
- ⏳ The WWF emphasizes that urgent action is required from governments, businesses, and the public to reverse the destruction of biodiversity.
- 🌡️ Climate change exacerbates the threat to species worldwide, affecting habitats and contributing to the rapid decline of global wildlife populations.
- 🚨 The WWF calls for world leaders to act quickly, stating that failure to address biodiversity loss will hinder efforts to meet climate change targets, including the 1.5°C goal.
- 🌎 The upcoming global leaders' meeting in Montreal is a crucial opportunity to create a plan to halt biodiversity loss and initiate recovery.
- ⚠️ The WWF UK Chief Executive, Tanya Steele, warns that the loss of biodiversity affects not only the ecology but also global economies and society, urging leaders to move beyond words to tangible actions.
Q & A
What has the recent report from the Worldwide Fund for Nature revealed about wildlife populations?
-The report shows that wildlife populations have fallen by nearly 70% since 1970.
What are the primary reasons for the decline in wildlife populations according to the report?
-The main causes are the destruction of natural habitats and climate change.
Which region has experienced the most significant decline in wildlife populations?
-Latin America, particularly the Amazon, has seen the most significant decline, with wildlife populations falling by 94% over the past 50 years.
What specific ecosystems are most impacted according to the report?
-Freshwater ecosystems, including lakes and wetlands, have seen the most dramatic decline, with species populations falling by 83% on average.
Why does the Worldwide Fund for Nature emphasize immediate action?
-The WWF stresses that urgent action is needed to reverse the destruction of biodiversity and prevent further species extinction. Without intervention, both ecosystems and human populations are at risk.
How does the decline in wildlife populations compare to human population loss, as explained by Tanya Steele?
-Tanya Steele compares it to wiping out the entire populations of China, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas combined.
Has there been sufficient action from world leaders to address biodiversity loss, according to the WWF?
-No, according to Tanya Steele, world leaders have been largely 'missing in action,' and more decisive efforts are needed to halt biodiversity loss.
What upcoming event could be critical for addressing biodiversity loss?
-A global leaders' meeting in Montreal in December will focus on forming a new action plan to halt biodiversity loss and begin recovery.
What additional challenges, besides biodiversity loss, are emphasized by the WWF?
-The WWF highlights climate change as another major challenge, stating that addressing biodiversity loss is essential to reaching the global target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Why is biodiversity loss not just an environmental issue but also an economic one?
-The loss of biodiversity affects ecosystems that are crucial for human societies and economies. This includes impacts on supply chains, economies, and the way we live and consume resources.
Outlines
🌏 Wildlife Populations Plunge by 70%
A new report from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) indicates a drastic 70% decline in global wildlife populations since 1970. This alarming trend is attributed to the destruction of natural habitats and climate change. The WWF's Living Planet Report assesses nearly 32,000 populations of 5,230 species, revealing a 69% average decline between 1970 and 2018. Freshwater species have been hit the hardest with an 83% drop. Latin America, particularly the Amazon, is experiencing severe deforestation, leading to a 94% population decline. While North America, Asia, and Europe have seen a smaller decline, climate change poses a universal threat. The UK is highlighted as one of the most nature-depleted countries, with only half of its natural richness remaining. The WWF calls for immediate action, emphasizing the urgency to restore the natural world to prevent further loss of species.
🔥 Climate Change Impacts Society and Economy
The script's second paragraph discusses the tangible impacts of climate change, exemplified by extreme weather events such as the UK's record-breaking 40-degree heat, wildfires across Europe, and catastrophic floods in Pakistan. These events underscore that climate change is not just an ecological issue but also affects economies and societal functioning. Tanya Steele, the WWF's UK chief executive, stresses the need for world leaders to act beyond conservation and address the root causes within supply chains and economic systems. The current lifestyle and consumption patterns are unsustainable, leading to the destruction of nature. Steele calls for a global leaders' meeting in Montreal to formulate a new action plan to halt and reverse the loss of nature, emphasizing the short window of opportunity to achieve climate change targets and safeguard future generations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Global support
💡Wildlife populations
💡Biodiversity
💡Deforestation
💡Climate change
💡Freshwater species
💡Nature-depleted
💡WWF
💡Habitat loss
💡Government action
💡Sustainability
Highlights
Wildlife populations have fallen by nearly 70% since 1970 according to the WWF.
The destruction of biodiversity is linked to habitat breakup and climate change, threatening many species.
WWF's Living Planet report shows that global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 69% between 1970 and 2018.
Freshwater species in lakes and wetlands have seen the most significant decline, with populations falling by 83%.
Species in Latin America and the Amazon have experienced a 94% population decline due to deforestation.
While regions like North America, Asia, and Europe have seen smaller declines, climate change threatens species worldwide.
The UK is among the most nature-depleted countries, with only half of its natural richness remaining.
The WWF urges immediate global action from governments, businesses, and the public to halt the destruction of biodiversity.
The UK government aims to halt the decline of nature by 2030 but must act quickly to protect endangered species.
WWF's Tanya Steele emphasizes that wildlife and human survival are interconnected, and the loss of biodiversity affects everyone.
The loss of biodiversity could be likened to wiping out the populations of entire continents if humans were monitored similarly.
WWF reports these alarming declines repeatedly, yet global leaders have taken little action to reverse them.
The upcoming global leaders' meeting in Montreal offers a critical opportunity to form a new action plan for biodiversity recovery.
Failure to agree on a biodiversity recovery plan would be a betrayal of future generations, according to Steele.
Climate change and environmental destruction are increasingly affecting global economies and societies, highlighting the urgency of action.
Transcripts
there's a desperate plea for Global
support to protect the world's animals
and plants it comes after a new report
has shown that Wildlife populations have
fallen by nearly 70 percent since 1970.
the worldwide fund for nature says
governments businesses and the public
must take action to reverse the
destruction of biodiversity Sean Dilley
reports
striding with Grace content with its
natural habitat in the Amazon but maybe
that's because this big cap doesn't
understand the danger that lurks around
the corner
the conservation charity the worldwide
fund for nature says the breakup of
natural habitat and climate change means
animal populations here are in
particular Danger
the Charity's latest living planet
report warns that Global Wildlife
populations have fallen by nearly 70 in
around 50 years
the study which assesses the abundance
of almost 32 000 populations of
5230 species of animals birds reptiles
amphibians and fish around the world
suggests that population sizes declined
by 69 percent on average between 1970
and 2018. species living in freshwater
lakes and wetlands have fallen by an
average of 83 percent
the most impacted species live here in
Latin America and the Amazon where
deforestation is destroying trees and
the species who rely on them to sustain
life
population sizes here have fallen by 94
over the past half century according to
the report
other areas such as North America Asia
and Europe have seen a smaller decline
but climate change threatens species
everywhere
the UK is one of the most nature
depleted countries in the world with
just half of its nature richness
remaining
the worldwide fund for nature says it's
now or never if we're to restore the
natural world
the government says it's committed to
halting the decline of nature by 2030
and that it will continue to improve on
Wildlife laws but the WWF says it needs
to act very quickly if it wants to
protect species from danger and
distinction Sean Dilly BBC News
and we can get more now on that from the
WWF which has just released that report
there UK chief executive Tanya Steele
joins me now Tanya thank you very much
for your time that is a lot of loss in a
very short time uh nearly 70 decline in
just under 50 years put that in in
further context for us Tanya
I mean this is our most comprehensive
report ever and it is a stark warning
for us if wildlife and its habitats
don't survive then neither will we and
if we were to treat the human population
as one species that we were monitoring
it would be the equivalent of wiping out
the entire populations of China Europe
Oceania the Americas uh combined so this
is a devastating set of impacts for our
natural world and probably what is even
more devastating is that we have
reported these declines repeatedly but
we have seen very little action from
world leaders to start to Halt this loss
and to put it onto a past for recovery
and in fact you were telling me about
this when we spoke at cop 26 in Glasgow
last year Tanya since then have you seen
any plans any initiatives from
governments anywhere around the world
that give you hope but someone's
actually taking this seriously really
doing something about it
I mean I think that for the most part
many world leaders have been missing in
action and we really do need those
leaders to act and Galvanize now because
nature is the linchpin in the fight
against climate change and the loss of
our natural world is shocking enough but
we have the great apparel of climate
change a post a really kind of heading
to us at high speed so to not address
the loss in our natural world means we
have no hope at all of reaching one and
a half degree targets and we have a very
short window of opportunity there is a
global leaders meeting in Montreal in
December where a new action plan needs
to be formed to really start to Halt
this loss of Nature and actually start
to recover it and anything less anything
less than an agreement to do that would
be an utter betrayal of future
Generations I'm just trying to
understand why it isn't being taken
seriously enough I mean yes the words
are all there aren't they people say we
must do more to support our Wildlife our
environment but why is the time the
resources uh the the money the energy
not being put into the sort of plans
that you want to see to help protect
animals and plants
really it's taken time to get this issue
up the political agenda but I mean just
the summer we've had we've all
experienced across the world here in the
UK with soaring temperatures of 40
degrees Wildlife wildfires across the
whole of Europe and biblical star floods
level floods in Pakistan is starting to
bring this to the fore and I think
realistically we know that this is not
just an issue that affects the Ecology
of our world it is affecting our
economies and it is affecting our
ability to function as a society so we
see this is an opportunity for world
leaders to recognize that that we cannot
continue to Kick the Can down the road
and we have to actually focus on efforts
Beyond conservation which are important
but actually start to reach into our
supply chains our economies and really
how we work because we are destroying so
much nature by the way we live and work
and consume as human beings and it is no
longer sustainable
Tanya thank you very much for your time
today Tanya Steele uh the wwf's UK chief
executive
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