ISLAMABAD, Oct 10 (APP):The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s Living Planet Report (LPR) 2024; the 15th edition of WWF’s biennial flagship publication launched on Thursday claimed that there has been a catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020).
The report warns that, as the Earth approaches dangerous tipping points posing grave threats to humanity, a huge collective effort will be required over the next five years to tackle the dual climate and nature crises, a news release said.
The Living Planet Index (LPI), provided by ZSL (Zoological Society of London), includes almost 35,000 population trends of over 5,000 species from 1970-2020. The strongest decline is in freshwater ecosystems (-85%), followed by terrestrial (-69%) and then marine populations (-56%).
Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by our food system, which accounts for 70% of water use and over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, is the most reported threat to wildlife populations around the world; followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease. Climate change is a particular additional threat for wildlife populations in Latin America and the Caribbean, which have recorded a staggering 95% average decline.
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan stated “Declining wildlife populations are early warning indicators of increasing extinction risk and the potential loss of healthy ecosystems. When ecosystems are damaged, they cease to provide the benefits we have come to depend on – clean air, water and healthy soils for food.”
The report states that global tipping points, such as the dieback of the Amazon rainforest and the mass die-off of coral reefs, would create shockwaves far beyond the immediate area impacting food security and livelihoods. In the Amazon, regional and global rainfall patterns could change, impacting food production and shifting the Amazon from a carbon sink to a source of emissions. Similarly, coral reef bleaching events weaken corals, leaving them unable to cope with other pressures like pollution and overfishing. A mass die-off would destroy fisheries and reduce storm protection.
The warning comes as fire outbreaks in the Amazon reached their highest level in 14 years in September and a fourth global mass coral bleaching event was confirmed earlier this year.
Countries have already agreed on ambitious global goals to halt and reverse nature loss (the Global Biodiversity Framework), cap global temperature rise to 1.5ºC (the Paris Agreement), and eradicate poverty (the UN Sustainable Development Goals). But the Living Planet Report says national commitments and action on the ground fall far short of what’s required to meet targets for 2030 and avoid dangerous tipping points.
Speaking about this, Hammad Naqi Khan stated “The international biodiversity and climate summits taking place shortly – COP16 and COP29 – are an opportunity for countries to rise to the scale of the challenge and produce and implement more ambitious national nature and climate plans.”
WWF is urging governments and businesses to rapidly act to eliminate activities with negative impacts on biodiversity and climate, and redirect finance away from harmful practices and towards activities that will deliver on the global goals. “We must work in harmony with nature. Nature-based solutions enhance ecosystems, biodiversity, and human well-being. Regenerative farming and the restoration of wetlands, forests, and mangroves can increase carbon storage, improve air and water quality, and bolster food and water security,” Khan added.
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