Alarming loss of wildlife population in 50 years: WWF

There was a 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in the 50 years between 1970 and 2020. 

This is according to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) 15th Living Planet Report released on Thursday.

The report showed the world is approaching dangerous, irreversible planetary tipping points driven by the twin threats of nature loss and climate change. 

The report's living planet index, which tracks how species are faring around the world, is produced by the Zoological Society of London and based on almost 35,000 population trends and 5,495 species of vertebrates (amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles). The index and similar indicators all show that nature is disappearing at an alarming rate. 

The index showed that: 

• The strongest decline has been in freshwater ecosystems (85%), followed by terrestrial (69%) and then marine (56%). 

• In Africa, the average decline in monitored wildlife populations stands at 76% 

• Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by the earth's food system, is the most reported threat to wildlife populations around the world, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease. 

• Climate change is a particular additional threat for wildlife populations in parts of the world. 

The report said the sharp decline in freshwater ecosystems reflected the increasing pressure placed on freshwater habitats and species. For example, freshwater fish were often threatened by dams and other alterations to their habitat that could block migration routes.

Declines in wildlife populations could act as early warning indicators of increasing extinction risk and the potential loss of healthy ecosystems, it said. 

“When ecosystems lose resilience they are more susceptible to additional disturbance and the report examines how the dual crises of nature loss and climate change are pushing the planet closer to dangerous and irreversible tipping points.” 

The report said reversing current trends would require radically scaling up effective and inclusive conservation action, as well as addressing the drivers of climate change and nature loss, such as transforming energy, food and finance systems. 

It said in 2022 South Africa and 195 countries committed to a global plan to reverse the loss of nature by 2030 as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

The report said to achieve the highly ambitious goals of the GBF would require countries to act on a scale hitherto unseen and in new ways. 

Protected areas covered 16% of the planet’s lands and 8% of its oceans, the GBF said, calling for 30% of land, water and seas to be protected by 2030 and 30% of degraded areas to be restored by 2030.

“Countries need to extend, enhance, connect and properly fund their systems of protected areas in a fair and inclusive way.”

The report said food production was one of the main drivers of nature’s decline: “It uses 40% of all habitable land, is the leading cause of habitat loss, accounts for 70% of water use and is responsible for over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.” 

Co-ordinated action was needed to scale up nature-positive production to provide enough food for everyone while also allowing nature to flourish, reduce food loss and waste and increase financial support and foster good governance including by redirecting environmentally harmful subsidies. 

Energy that was produced and consumed was the principal driver of climate change, the report said.

“We must rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to cut greenhouse emissions in half by 2030. In the last decade, global renewable energy capacity has roughly doubled and costs for wind, solar and batteries have fallen by up to 85%.” 

It said though energy trends were going in the right direction, the pace and scale were not yet near where they needed to be.

“Over the next five years, we need to triple renewable energy, double energy efficiency, and modernise energy grids for an energy transition that is fast, green and fair.” 

The WWF said more momentum was needed if the world was to succeed in halting further biodiversity loss.

The organisation said the international biodiversity and climate summits taking place later this year — COP16 and COP29 — were an opportunity for South Africa to demonstrate its commitment and global leadership in conservation and reversing the loss of biodiversity.

Dr Deon Nel, head of the environmental programme at WWF South Africa, said what happens over the next five years will be crucial for the future of life on earth.

“We have the power — and opportunity — to change this trajectory.” 

Kirsten Schuijt, director-general of WWF International said nature was issuing a distress call.

“The linked crises of nature loss and climate change are pushing wildlife and ecosystems beyond their limits, with dangerous global tipping points threatening to damage earth’s life-support systems and destabilise societies,” she said.,

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