WWF: half the wildlife than 40 years ago – Onet.pl

In a report called “Living Planet” shows that since 1970. Until 2010. Population of approx. 3 thousand. species throughout the world has decreased by 52 percent. ie more than previously thought. “I do not see any signs of slowing down” – write the authors of the latest report, which is published every two years since 1998. WWF called the document “a barometer of the state of our planet.”

In 2012. Fund reported a 28 percent drop between 1970. and 2008. According to the organization the reason for such a large difference between the present data and those from two years ago are changes in method of measuring the population of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

The most affected areas are in tropical regions, especially in Latin America, where there has been an 83 percent drop. The largest decreases were found among freshwater species (76 per cent. Since 1970. Until 2010.). In turn, marine or terrestrial reported a 39-percent drop.

As stated in the document, the greatest threat to fauna around the world are: hunting, overfishing, loss and deterioration of habitat due to agriculture, urbanization and deforestation and global warming.

“These losses are not inevitable. This is the result of how we want to live” – ​​said the representative of the scientific society Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Ken Norris. “There is still hope. Nature protection requires concerted action, political will and support from the industry” – he stressed.

The report also highlighted that people now consume more natural resources than the earth is able to recover.

– While it is possible, we must seize this opportunity to strive for sustainable development and to build a future in which people will be able to live in harmony with nature – added the head of WWF Marco Lambertini.

The authors analyzed data on approx. 10 thousand. 3038 population of invertebrate species using the base ZSL. As explained by one of the authors of the report, Richard McLellan, this database is intended to provide representative samples of the total population of wild animals in the world.

(JM)