We're losing our animals

The World Wildlife Fund released its Living Planet Report 2014 yesterday and it revealed catastrophic declines in the world's wildlife populations.

The numbers of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have fallen by an average of 52% over the last 40 years.

The worst hit are freshwater fish species, which have seen declines of 76% since 1970.

The culprits for this are habitat loss, degradation, fishing, hunting and climate change.

The Living Planet Report tracked the populations of over 10000 vertebrates from 1970 to 2010.

The report stated that where habitat loss and the pressure of wildlife hunting were added, the effects on a species' numbers could be devastating.

"We urgently need bold global action in all sectors of society to build a more sustainable future," said WWF international director general Marco Lambertini.

WWF South Africa CEO Dr Morné du Plessis said that what the reportrevealed were road signs that should be guiding us to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

South Africans, while not the worst offenders when it came to ecological footprints, had the problem that its economy was heavily reliant on fossil fuels, he said.

"Half of our current ecological footprint is made up of carbon emissions."

To save the planet from further degradation, Du Plessis said wild areas needed to be preserved.

We also needed to consume more wisely and make the transition to cleaner energy.

The report praised South Africa for initiatives to save vulnerable wild areas.

It highlighted how pulp and paper company Mondi had played an important role in rehabilitating the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site.

The report also mentioned how Cape Town, the Global Earth Hour Capital 2014, had worked towards reducing energy output by installing household solar water heaters and fitting streetlights with energy-efficient technology.