Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%

What happened

Wildlife populations around the world suffered a "catastrophic" average decline of 73% between 1970 and 2020, and human activity is mainly to blame, according to the latest Living Planet Index, released Wednesday. The biennial index, a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London, is an "important but limited and often misinterpreted assessment" of more than 5,000 vertebrate species, The New York Times said.

Who said what

The biggest driver of wildlife population decline was habitat loss, primarily from clearing land for farming, grazing and other human food production, the report said. Other significant factors included climate change, pollution, disease and the introduction of invasive species. The index "really does indicate to us that the fabric of nature is unraveling," said Rebecca Shaw, WWF's chief scientist.

The Living Planet Index's numbers are "so steep as to feel disorienting," but they "do not mean that wildlife in general has dropped" by 73%, the Times said. And while the exact "magnitude of declines remains unknown," there is "widespread scientific consensus that the planet is facing a crisis of biodiversity loss with dangerous implications for humanity."

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"Please don't just feel sad about the loss of nature," study lead author Mike Barrett, WWF's chief scientific adviser, told the BBC. "Be aware that this is now a fundamental threat to humanity and we've really got to do something now."

What next?

Dozens of countries will gather in Colombia on Oct. 21 for the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, aimed at reviewing and implementing a sweeping 2022 international agreement to restore natural habitats and safeguard animal and plant life.