Wildlife numbers more than halve since 1970s in mass extinction

In sharp decline

Martin Harvey/WWF/PA Wire

By New Scientist staff and Press Association

Global wildlife populations are set to have fallen by more than two thirds on 1970 levels by the end of the decade, conservationists warn.

Assessment of 14,152 populations of 3,706 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles from around the world reveals a 58 per cent fall between 1970 and 2012 – with no sign the average 2 per cent drop in numbers each year will slow.

By 2020, populations of vertebrate species could have fallen by 67 per cent over a 50-year period unless action is taken to reverse the damaging impacts of human activity, the Living Planet report from WWF and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said.

The figures prompted experts to warn nature was facing a global “mass extinction” for the first time since the demise of the dinosaurs.

African elephants in Tanzania have seen numbers crash due to poaching, maned wolves in Brazil are threatened by grasslands being turned into farmland and European eels have declined due to disease, over-fishing and changes to their river habitats.

Maned wolf: Threatened by farmland expansion

Martin Harvey/WWF/PA Wire

Species are being increasingly affected by unsustainable agriculture and fishing, as well as mining and other human activities that cause habitats to be lost or become degraded.

Wildlife is also being hit by over-exploitation, climate change and pollution, the report warned.

It is not just wildlife that is being affected, with humans also the “victims” of the deteriorating state of nature, as they depend on breathable air, drinkable water and nutritious food, it said.

While wildlife continues to decline on average, species that depend on certain habitats have seen some improvements in recent years, the report revealed.

Grassland species have increased slightly since 2004, which the report puts down to conservation efforts for some mammals in Africa, though bird populations continued to decline.

Overall terrestrial species, which are found in habitats ranging from grasslands to forests, have seen populations drop by two-fifths since 1970.

Freshwater species are faring even worse, with declines of four-fifths between 1970 and 2012.

Wetland wildlife has seen an increase since 2005, and marine species have been stable since 1988 – although the majority of stocks that contribute most to global fish catches are now either fully fished or overfished, the report warned.

European eels: diseased, overfished

Erling Svensen/WWF/PA Wire

“For the first time since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, we face a global mass extinction of wildlife,” said Mike Barrett, director of science and policy at WWF-UK. “We ignore the decline of other species at our peril – for they are the barometer that reveals our impact on the world that sustains us.”

“Humanity’s misuse of natural resources is threatening habitats, pushing irreplaceable species to the brink and threatening the stability of our climate.”

But he added: “We know how to stop this. It requires governments, businesses and citizens to rethink how we produce, consume, measure success and value the natural environment.”

“In the UK, this demands a serious plan to strengthen protection for habitats and species and new measures to fast-track low-carbon growth.”

Ken Norris, director of science at ZSL said: “Human behaviour continues to drive the decline of wildlife populations globally, with particular impact on freshwater habitats.

“Importantly, however, these are declines – they are not yet extinctions- and this should be a wake-up call to marshal efforts to promote the recovery of these populations.”

The report highlights the success of habitat protection and strict controls on hunting in Europe to help restore populations of wildlife including bears, lynx, wolverines and wolves.

The global toll

Africa’s elephant population has crashed by an estimated 111,000 in the past decade primarily due to poaching.  2016 estimates suggest there are 415,000 elephants across the 37 range states in Africa.

Only 880 of the critically endangered mountain gorilla remain in the wild in Africa facing threats of habitat destruction and human wildlife conflict.

The maned wolf, along with other large mammals including the giant anteater, is threatened by the increasing conversion of grasslands into farmland for grazing and growing crops in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Orca populations in European waters are under threat from persistent organic pollutants. Despite legislative restrictions on their use, these pollutants are still present in orcas’ blubber at levels that exceed all known marine mammal toxicity thresholds.

The Yangtze river dolphin has declined largely due to incidental mortality by collisions with fishing vessels and entanglement in fishing gear. An intensive survey carried out in China in 2006 failed to find any evidence that the species survives.

Around 3900 tigers are left in the wild in Asia facing threats of habitat destruction, climate change, and human wildlife conflict. The species is critically endangered

As few as 70 Amur leopards are left in the wild, facing threats of habitat destruction and human wildlife conflict. The species is critically endangered.