Wildlife in decline by almost 70% since 1970, says report - BBC News

Summary

The 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

00:00

🌏 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.

05:02

🔥 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.

Keywords

💡Global support

Global support refers to the collective effort and assistance from countries worldwide to address a particular issue. In the context of the video, it is crucial for protecting the world's animals and plants, as the report indicates a significant decline in wildlife populations. The script emphasizes the need for a united global response to biodiversity loss and the destruction of natural habitats.

💡Wildlife populations

Wildlife populations refer to the number and variety of different species living in their natural environments. The video script reports a drastic decline of nearly 70 percent since 1970, highlighting the urgency of conservation efforts. This decline is a central theme of the video, indicating the severity of the ecological crisis.

💡Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, including the variety within and between species and ecosystems. The script discusses the destruction of biodiversity, which is a loss of species, genetic diversity, and ecosystem variety. The report by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) underscores the importance of biodiversity conservation to maintain the health of the planet.

💡Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of trees and forests, often for agricultural or development purposes. In the script, deforestation in Latin America and the Amazon is highlighted as a significant cause of wildlife population decline, as it destroys the habitats that species rely on for survival.

💡Climate change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. The video script connects climate change to the threats facing wildlife populations, suggesting that it exacerbates the challenges faced by species already struggling with habitat loss. Climate change is portrayed as an additional layer of danger to biodiversity.

💡Freshwater species

Freshwater species are those that live in rivers, lakes, and wetlands. The script notes that these species have experienced an average decline of 83 percent, indicating that they are among the most vulnerable to environmental changes. The decline of freshwater species is a stark example of the broader ecological crisis.

💡Nature-depleted

Nature-depleted describes a condition where the natural richness of an area has been significantly reduced. The UK is cited in the script as being one of the most nature-depleted countries, with only half of its natural richness remaining. This term is used to illustrate the severity of environmental degradation in developed countries.

💡WWF

WWF stands for the Worldwide Fund for Nature, an international non-governmental organization focused on wildlife conservation and environmental protection. The script references the WWF's 'Living Planet Report,' which documents the decline in wildlife populations and calls for urgent action. The WWF is a key player in the narrative of the video, advocating for global environmental action.

💡Habitat loss

Habitat loss is the reduction or destruction of habitats due to human activities or natural disasters. The script discusses habitat loss as a primary driver of the decline in wildlife populations. The breakup of natural habitats, particularly in the Amazon, is highlighted as a critical issue that directly threatens the survival of many species.

💡Government action

Government action refers to the measures taken by governments to address environmental issues. The video script mentions the need for governments, businesses, and the public to take action to reverse the destruction of biodiversity. It also notes the UK government's commitment to halt the decline of nature by 2030, emphasizing the role of policy in environmental conservation.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain processes or states in the long term without depleting resources or causing environmental damage. The script discusses how current human lifestyles and consumption patterns are unsustainable, contributing to the destruction of nature. The concept of sustainability is central to the video's message about the need for a fundamental shift in how we live and interact with the environment.

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