Vertebrate populations fall 73% in 50 years, according to a report

Oct. 10 () –

He average size of monitored wildlife populations has suffered a catastrophic 73% drop in just 50 years (1970-2020), as the Living Planet 2024 report reveals. Specifically, the populations of freshwater species are those that have suffered the greatest decline, with a drop of 85%, followed by terrestrial species (69%) and marine species (56%).

The research is carried out by the Zoological Society of London (United Kingdom), which administers it together with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In total, it analyzes almost 35,000 population trends of 5,495 species between 1970 and 2020.

By area, the most affected are Latin America and the Caribbean, which have recorded an average decrease of 95% in populations. There, the climate crisis joins degradation, habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive species and diseases as a threat. After Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa is the second most affected region with a decrease of 76% and Asia-Pacific the third with 60%.

Some of the species populations evaluated are hawksbill turtles, which have suffered a 57% drop in the number of females nesters between 1990 and 2018 on Milman Island (Great Barrier Reef, Australia). At the same time, the research also highlights the case of the population of Amazon pink dolphin, which has decreased in number by 65%, and the tucuxi dolphin, the smallest, whose population fell by 75% between 1994 and 2016 in the Mamirauá reserve (Amazonas, Brazil). Additionally, the study adds that more than 330 river dolphins died in just two lakes during a period of extreme heat and drought in 2023.

However, the document also reveals the stabilization or increase of some species populations thanks to conservation efforts. For example, it includes the increase in mountain gorilla subpopulation in the Virunga Mountains (East Africa) at a rate of around 3% per year between 2010 and 2016. Or also, the return of populations of European bison in central Europe.

Even so, the report emphasizes that isolated successes “are not enough” and emphasizes that the world is facing a “system in danger” as the world approaches “dangerous and irreversible” tipping points, driven by nature loss and climate change. These tipping points occur when an ecosystem exceeds a critical threshold that causes substantial and potentially irreversible change. As the study warns, possible turning points at a global level such as the retreat of the Amazon rainforest and the massive death of coral reefs “would have consequences far beyond their immediate vicinity and would affect food security and the resources that sustain people“.

According to the text, the results of the study show that national commitments and actions on the ground are still “very far” from what the world needs to meet the objectives set for 2030 and “avoid dangerous turning points.”

In the framework of the international summits on biodiversity and climate taking place this year (COP16 and COP29), WWF calls on governments to include in their national nature and climate plans (NBSAP and NDC, for their acronym in English) ) measures to reduce overconsumption globally, halt and reverse biodiversity loss both nationally and internationally, and reduce emissions equitably

In this regard, the environmental organization also urges governments to allocate greater public funding to this issue and better align their policies and actions on climate, nature and sustainable development. In the opinion of the NGO, both governments and companies must act to “rapidly” eliminate activities that have negative effects on biodiversity and the climate and redirect financing from harmful practices to activities that allow global objectives to be achieved.

The Conservation Director of WWF Spain, Enrique Segoviahas indicated that the decisions made and actions taken over the next five years will be “crucial” for the future of life on Earth. “It is necessary to rethink nature conservation and transform agricultural, energy and financial systems to make them fairer and greener.“, he recommended.

“World leaders will meet soon for COP16, and we need to see strong responses from them and an urgent expansion of resources to achieve those commitments and get back on the path to recovery,” added the Director of Conservation and Policy of ZSL, Andrew Terry.