Natural decline is now nearing a dangerous tipping point, WWF warns

Human activities continue to drive what the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) calls a “catastrophic” loss of species.

Global wildlife inventories show that populations of everything from elephants in tropical forests to hawksbill turtles on the Great Barrier Reef are in sharp decline.

The Living Planet Report, a comprehensive overview of the state of the natural world, found that global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73% over the past 50 years.

WWF UK director Tanya Steele said the loss of wild space was putting “many ecosystems at risk” and that many habitats, from the Amazon to coral reefs, were “at a very dangerous tipping point. “There is,” he said.

The report is based on the Living Planet Index, which aggregates populations of more than 5,000 bird, mammal, amphibian, reptile and fish species over 50 years.

Among many snapshots of human-caused wildlife loss, it has been revealed that 60% of the world’s Amazon pink river dolphins have become extinct due to pollution and other threats such as mining and civil unrest.

It also captured hopeful signs of successful conservation.

For example, the subpopulation of mountain gorillas in East Africa’s Virunga Mountains grew by about 3% per year between 2010 and 2016.

But WWF said that “against a backdrop of widespread habitat destruction, these isolated successes are not enough.”

Tom Oliver, professor of ecology at the University of Reading, who was not involved in the report, said this information, when combined with other data sets such as insect declines, “provides strong evidence of global biodiversity collapse and… “It allows us to piece together a worrying picture.” ”.

The report says habitat degradation and loss is the biggest threat to wildlife, followed by overfishing, invasive species, disease, climate change and pollution.

Mike Barrett, lead author and WWF Chief Scientific Advisor, said that due to human actions, “we are increasingly losing natural habitats, particularly in the way we produce and consume food.”

The report also states that nature loss and climate change are rapidly pushing the world to irreversible tipping points, including the potential “collapse” of the Amazon rainforest, which could lead to It warns that it will no longer be possible to lock up global warming carbon or mitigate the effects of climate change.

“Don’t just mourn the loss of nature,” Barrett said.

“Please note that this is now a fundamental threat to humanity and we must do something now.”

Valentina Marconi, from the Zoological Society of London’s Institute of Zoology, told BBC News that the natural world is in a “precarious situation” but that with urgent collective action from world leaders, “there is still no chance of reversing the situation. There is,” he said.

Mr Steele said the report was an “incredible wake-up call”.

“Healthy ecosystems underpin our health, prosperity and well-being,” she told BBC News.

“I don’t think this rests on the shoulders of ordinary citizens. It’s the responsibility of businesses and governments.

“We need to protect our land and our most precious wild places for future generations.”