[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently shared bleak news from the Living Planet Report 2024 confirming that the catastrophic decline in the average size of global wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020), years reveals a “system in peril.” The report warns that parts of our planet are approaching dangerous tipping points driven by the combination of nature loss and climate change which pose grave threats to humanity. The steepest drops recorded were in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%), followed by North America (39%) and Europe and Central Asia (35%). World Wildlife Fund Dutch Caribbean reports:
Despite success stories, such as the recovering populations of green sea turtles, the global state of nature remains alarming. According to WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Report (LPR), wildlife populations worldwide have dropped by 73% in the last 50 years. Latin America and the Caribbean saw the sharpest decline at 95%. The report warns that the planet is approaching dangerous tipping points, and a huge global effort is needed in the next five years to tackle the climate and nature crises.
Large-scale action: The next five years are critical for Earth’s future, but we have the power and opportunity to change the path forward. WWF calls on governments to increase funding from both public and private sources for large-scale action. They should align climate, nature, and development policies better. Governments and businesses need to stop activities that harm biodiversity and climate, and shift money towards actions that support global goals.
Arjan de Groene, Coordinator of WWF-Netherlands for the Caribbean, explains: “The decline of wildlife populations across the Caribbean shows that the urgency to act has never been greater. Although the impact of several threats are severe, there are stories of hope, like the stabilization of green turtle populations in the Caribbean after decades of increased protection. We also see that some ‘super corals’ are surviving the constant battering of different threats they are faced with. If we join forces between the Dutch Caribbean, Colombia, Guianas and the broader region to scale up solutions we can still preserve—and even restore—the unique places and animals that are essential for our survival.”
Changes in population: The Living Planet Index (LPI) tracks species population trends from 1970 to 2020. It uses data that has been gathered by Zoological Society London, from almost 35,000 population trends across 5,495 species. These include amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles. Changes in population size serve as early warnings of extinction risk. They also show how healthy ecosystems are. The fastest declines have occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a 95% decrease. Africa follows with 76%, and Asia and the Pacific with 60%. Some species have alarming trends.. For example, Amazon pink river dolphins have declined by 65%. Leatherback turtle nests in the Guianas and Trinidad and Tobago have fallen by 95%. However, on a global scale, some managed fish stocks have shown recovery in recent years, while others have remained stable.
Threats: Freshwater species saw the biggest decline (-85%), followed by land (-69%) and marine species (-56%). The main threat to wildlife is habitat loss, followed by overuse, invasive species, and diseases. Food production is the main cause of habitat loss on land, leading to biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions. About 90% of deforestation occurs to create farmland, mostly in the tropics and subtropics. This has led to a big drop in animal populations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Climate change is a major added threat in Latin America and the Caribbean, where wildlife populations have dropped by 95%. Fortunately, WWF has also observed a reduction in some threats. For example, the population of green sea turtles is stabilizing because egg poaching and turtle consumption have been reduced over recent decades. [. . .]
For full article, see
https://wwfdutchcaribbean.org/news-stories/livingplanetreport2024
For report, see https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/catastrophic-73-decline-in-the-average-size-of-global-wildlife-populations-in-just-50-years-reveals-a-system-in-peril
Also see https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/catastrophic-73-decline-in-the-average-size-of-global-wildlife-populations-in-just-50-years-reveals-a-system-in-peril and “Biodiversidad de América Latina y el Caribe está en riesgo, advierte informe,” Noticias Caracol, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdQQnkXYhcY
[Shown above, photo Casper Douma: Green sea turtle.]