Categories: World

Report says Humans Destroying Nature on an unprecedented scale

Since 1970, animal populations have reduced an average of 68% as human activities have pushed the planet’s life support systems to the edge. According to a major new assessment of the abundance of life on Earth, wildlife populations are in freefall around the world. Human overconsumption, population growth, and intensive agriculture disrupted wildlife.

According to the WWF and Zoological Society of London (ZSL)’s biennial Living Planet Report 2020, between 1970 and 2016, on average, global populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles dropped by 68%. The figure was 60% two years ago. The research was compiled by 134 experts from around the world and is one of the most comprehensive assessments of global biodiversity available.

The report finds that humans are exploiting and destroying nature on a scale never previously recorded. Human activities are deeply affecting rainforests of Central America to the Pacific Ocean. Global data on 20,811 populations of 4,392 vertebrate species were tracked by the analysts. They monitored high-profile threatened species such as pandas and polar bears as well.

The data reveals that vertebrate wildlife populations are dropping in all regions of the world, on average by more than two-thirds since 1970. Robin Freeman led the research at ZSL. Freeman said “It seems that we’ve spent 10 to 20 years talking about these declines and not really managed to do anything about it. It frustrates me and upsets me. We sit at our desks and compile these statistics but they have real-life implications. It’s really hard to communicate how dramatic some of these declines are.”

The most alarming drop was recorded in the Caribbean and Latin America. They recorded an average fall of 94% in vertebrate wildlife populations. The most negatively affected populations were reptiles, fish, and amphibians, driven by disease, habitat fragmentation, and overexploitation of ecosystems.

Gabriella Remillard

Staff writer for the Chicago Morning Star

Recent Posts

Senate Democrats mock Biden for selling weapons to Israel

Some of President Biden's strongest Senate allies are calling on Israelis to end months of fierce fighting and criticizing the…

11 months ago

The biggest cities in Ukraine are struck by Russian missiles, leaving at least 4 dead and over 100 injured

Ukraine's KYIV — At least four people were killed and nearly 100 injured when Russian hypersonic ballistic missiles attacked Ukraine's…

11 months ago

Good News That’s Much Needed for Biden

The economy is making Americans feel a little more upbeat, especially when it comes to jobs and incomes, which could…

12 months ago

College Ventilation System Reveals Missing Man

The discovery of a decaying body inside a college ventilation system marked the tragic and unexplained end to a missing…

12 months ago

Following three Palestinian shots, a Vermont man was arrested

Following the shooting deaths of three 20-year-old Palestinian-American students in Vermont, authorities have detained a man. According to a news…

12 months ago

China is told to cease “COVID deception” due to the pneumonia outbreak by the US envoy

The United States ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, urged Chinese authorities "to abandon COVID deception" and demanded that China be…

12 months ago

This website uses cookies.