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The development of populations of many vertebrate species is recorded in WWF’s Living Planet Report, and the balance sheet for the 2020 edition is grim: the populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish surveyed globally have plummeted by more than two-thirds on average. If the report were an index of the stock market, panic would erupt, says WWF expert Georg Scattolin.
Surveys since 1970
Specifically, the studied populations of wild species have declined by an average of 68 percent since 1970. The environmental organization identified land consumption, overexploitation, deforestation and illegal trade as the main drivers and called in a broadcast Thursday a fundamental change in the system to stop this development. “If the Living Planet Index were on the stock market, the biggest panic of all time would break out,” concluded Scattolin, director of the international program for WWF Austria. A radical change is possible, but it requires a global nature conservation pact based on the model of the Paris Climate Agreement.
Currently 4,392 species of vertebrates are registered
The Living Planet Index is based on data from 4,392 species and 20,811 populations of vertebrates. The percentage change reflects the average proportional change in herd size over a longer period of time, not the number of individual animals lost. In the freshwater habitats that were hit the hardest, the populations surveyed even suffered an average loss of 84 percent. Overall, the 13th edition of the Living Planet report barometer has reached a new low. “Our nature is ruthlessly exploited and destroyed, although it is absolutely important from a systemic point of view,” Scattolin warned, and this destruction also increases the chances of new pandemics.
Amazons in grave danger
Above all, the Amazon is being ruthless, so the populations of wild animals examined in South and Central America have sunk even more than elsewhere, explains the conservation expert. The eastern lowland gorilla of the Congo is one of the particularly threatened animals: an 87 percent decline has been recorded since 1994, mainly due to illegal hunting. The leatherback population is said to have declined by 84 percent since 1995. The African gray parrot in southwestern Ghana has seen a 99 percent decline since 1992 and is therefore nearly extinct.
Extremely affected aquatic habitat
According to WWF, the waters and wetlands are the most affected, where the sturgeon population in the Yangtze has decreased by 97 percent due to the construction of dams for hydroelectric plants. The same reason was largely responsible for the extinction of the Chinese river dolphin years ago.
Actions save lives
However, the Living Planet Report also offers positive things: humpback whale populations in the western South Atlantic, which had only 450 animals in 1958, increased to an estimated 25,000 individuals thanks to the moratorium on whaling. According to WWF, whooper swans in Britain have doubled due to protective measures. As far as Austria is concerned, land erosion was criticized: WWF soil protection spokesperson Maria Schachinger emphasized the situation of the rivers, which are suffering due to the expansion of hydroelectric power: only 15 per One hundred of the rivers are ecologically intact. “That’s why a system change is needed here too,” Schachinger demanded.
