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In the past 50 years, the Earth has been transformed by an explosion in global trade, consumption, and human population growth, promoting urbanization and lifting many out of poverty.
But progress comes at a cost: a dangerous loss of biodiversity and the depletion of the animal kingdom. That loss is ultimately a human cost, evidenced right now in the dominant 2020 headlines: wildfires, locust plagues and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Read:‘No sign of the sun yet’: dense smoke from wildfires causes dark, orange skies in the west
The Living Planet Index, which tracks some 4,000 species of vertebrates, suggests that increased deforestation and agricultural expansion were the main drivers of an average 68% decline in animal populations between 1970 and 2016. Living Planet Report 2020, A collaboration between World Wildlife Fund International and the Zoological Society of London, it is the thirteenth edition of the biennial launch that tracks wildlife populations around the world.
World Wildlife Fund International and Zoological Society of London
The links between biodiversity and health are diverse, from traditional medicines and plant-derived pharmaceuticals to water seepage through wetlands. The key benefits are derived from a distinct separation of habitat between wild and human species to contain the spread of disease. Furthermore, biodiversity will be key to feeding the planet of the future.
Until 1970, the human ecological footprint was less than the Earth’s ability to regenerate resources, but the WWF now estimates that humanity is overusing the planet’s capacity by more than half. Factors affecting regeneration include invasive species and pollution, but the main driver of loss of wild species is changes in land use, such as the conversion of forests or grasslands to farms, the researchers argue. In the ocean, 75% of fish stocks are overfished, according to the index.
COVID-19 connection
An animal-to-human infection is behind the COVID-19 pandemic, most researchers say, raising further concern that lost biodiversity brings a clash between humans and animals that can have dire consequences.
“COVID-19 is nature sending us a message. In fact, it reads like an SOS signal for human enterprise, highlighting the need to live within the planet’s “safe operating space”. The environmental, health and economic consequences of not doing so are disastrous, “the scientists warned in the summary of their report.
World Wildlife Fund International and Zoological Society of London
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that three out of four new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals. Most scientists see a link between deforestation / habitat change and pandemics, while cultural cuisine options, Chinese wet markets, for example, have also come up in the discussion.
There are regional differences worth noting. The index shows that the tropical regions of Central and South America had experienced a 94% drop in species since 1970.
However, there is the possibility of a reversal if action is taken.
The scientific groups are in a program they have designed with the goal of “turning the curve” to limit biodiversity and species loss:
1. A scenario of greater conservation effort that has included an increase in the extent and management of protected areas, and greater restoration and conservation planning at the landscape level;
2. The most sustainable production scenario (efforts on the supply side) that includes higher and more sustainable increases in both agricultural productivity and trade in agricultural products;
3. The more sustainable consumption scenario (efforts on the demand side) that focuses on reducing the waste of agricultural products from farm to table and a change in diet towards a lower proportion of animal calories in countries with a high consumption of meat.
The scientists also emphasized the greater impact of combining these efforts, with more likely results.
“The Bending the Curve model tells us that, with transformational change, we can turn the tide of biodiversity loss. It’s easy to talk about transformational change, but how will we make it happen, living in our complex and highly connected modern society? We know it will require a global collective effort; that increased conservation efforts are key, along with changes in the way we produce and consume our food and energy, “said WWF and the Zoological Society of London. “Citizens, governments and business leaders around the world must be part of a movement for change with a scale, urgency and ambition never seen before.”
World Wildlife Fund International and Zoological Society of London
United States, Russia and China among nations labeled to lead
In separate research, Greg Asner of Arizona State University and conservation biologist and strategist Eric Dinerstein and colleagues suggest that action by key industrial and industrial areas could be vital in propping up all of Earth’s biodiversity.
By reserving half of Earth’s land for nature, nations can save our planet’s rich biodiversity, prevent future pandemics, and meet the Paris climate goal of keeping warming this century below less than 2.7 degrees F (1.5 degrees C), they suggest.
To achieve these goals, 20 countries must contribute disproportionately. Much of the responsibility falls on Russia, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Australia and China.
Why? Because these countries contain large tracts of land needed to achieve the dual goals of reducing climate change and saving biodiversity, the scientists said.
