According to World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2022, monitored populations of vertebrates (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish) have seen a devastating drop since 1970. According to the organization’s Living Planet Index, which tracks these populations, the decrease was on average 69% across the planet. At the bottom of the list are populations in Latin America and the Caribbean with an average decline of biodiversity of 94%. Although the international community has undertaken conservation activities, urgent action is required to reverse biodiversity loss. Check out more on this subject, by reading some experts’ opinions below.
Key Takeaways:
- According to the WWF, the abundance of birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles is in freefall, declining by more than two-thirds on average between 1970 and 2018.
- The Report mentions that around 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.
- According to environmentalists, widespread declines in wildlife populations affect the functioning of ecological systems: losing keystone species can have domino effects on other species. However, some state that: „Action is still possible and there are success stories from which we can learn”.
- Urbanization, intensive agriculture and the effects of climate change are among the major causes of wildlife decline.
DevelopmentAid: What are the main reasons behind the decline in wildlife populations?
“I have been working with endangered species, and have found that humans are the main reason behind the decline. Human activities are the primary causes of loss of habitat which results in the shifts and/or loss of basic resources (e.g., food and water) for particular species. The slow adaptation of the species to these shifts will cause their demise, but species with fast adaptation may have a higher chance of survival. Loss of habitat also creates fragmentation that blocks access to food, water, and mates. The obvious reasons of the population decline also include overexploitation due to poaching or catching. Either way, the loss of individuals may include the loss of those that are productive, causing pressure for the species to reproduce in the wild.”
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“Urbanization, intensive agriculture, and the effects of climate change, which cause habitat loss and environmental pollution, are the main reasons for the death of numerous animals in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Additionally, the overexploitation of wildlife through hunting and fishing in both freshwater and marine ecosystems has had the largest impact on wild species.”
“The Living Planet Index shows average declines and, as such, it is a useful metric to get a quick snapshot of what is happening with biodiversity globally. Overall, habitat loss is the main reason behind population declines and, on average, these declines are widespread for all the taxonomic groups covered. This type of data is a useful awareness tool to communicate to the general public, but the story is much more complex, with both horror stories but also amazing stories of success that give us the reason for hope.”
“I will answer by using the example of a certain species – Asian elephants. Habitat loss continues to play a major role in the decline of Asian elephants in all range nations. This may be caused by fragmentation, in which habitat is sliced up by roads or train lines, creating inhospitable ‘islands’ of remnant vegetation or it may be the encroachment of protected areas by plantation concessions or farming use. This all leads to a loss of suitable areas for populations to breed, expand, and thrive. But of course, elephants don’t recognize protected area boundaries and human-elephant conflict is often a result of habitat loss. Asian elephants are now considered endangered in all range nations.”
“I think one of the top reasons why this decline is happening is due to the burgeoning illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products combined with a massive geographical transformation of habitats that these species survive in. Besides this, we also have to acknowledge the fact that the ever-increasing human population is creating massive pressure on the natural resources of the planet catapulted by increased demands for healthy food and water.
DevelopmentAid: What will be the major consequences of this decline in the near and long-term future?
“The decline of species populations causes ecological shifts. This is due to the roles of particular species in shaping the ecosystem (e.g., seed dispersal, prey species population). Ultimately, ecological shifts affect us humans in many different ways. The habitat of endangered species is often located in remote areas far from human civilizations so the shifts are often unnoticed. However, the domino effect of such shifts will eventually affect human civilizations. Consider the ‘edge effect’ where two types of habitats exist adjacent to each other. Let’s say that one of the habitats is that of the human population while the other is the shifting wildlife habitat or ecosystem. Due to the limited resources in the wildlife habitat, the distribution of some species may be pushed toward the edge of the habitat bordering the human population. Interaction between human and wildlife increases, and problems ranging from human-wildlife conflict to newly emerging diseases, and zoonotic diseases may result from such interaction.”
“There is a recognized nexus between animal welfare, environmental welfare, and sustainable livelihoods, through a synergistic relationship of food webs and the condition of the environment. The uncontrolled disruption of the population of wildlife risks reaching a threshold beyond which life on earth will become unsustainable.”
“Widespread declines in wildlife populations affect the functioning of ecological systems and in some cases, there is a risk of losing keystone species which in turn can have domino effects on other species. There is also a concern for reaching ‘tipping points’ beyond which some ecosystems can no longer recover. But the reverse is also true, and a case in point is the grey wolf in North America. A recent study has shown how the reintroduction of grey wolves in Yellowstone National Park totally changed the composition of species in that ecosystem, which is now much healthier, resilient, and diverse with the wolves being present. This means that a combination of science and policy can help to successfully address and reverse the biodiversity crisis.”
“We are beginning to enter a world without wild Asian elephants. Many range nations have already reached critically low population numbers of wild Asian elephants. Wild elephant populations cannot be relied on or expected to save the entire Asian elephant species. Until wild elephant habitat can be considered safe and secure, we desperately need a Plan B.”
“If ecological services are no longer sufficient to meet social requirements, the loss of biodiversity may have serious direct effects on human health in the near future. More pandemics might be reported, which would have long-term consequences for the economy and health of the planet. In the long term, changes in ecosystem services would have an indirect impact on local migration, livelihoods, income and even political strife.”
DevelopmentAid: What should the international community do in this regard?
“Addressing the aforementioned issues requires a multi-discipline approach. There is diverse expertise from various institutions around the globe that can contribute to addressing these issues. Unfortunately, in many cases, groups of experts are working separately without an optimum link with other similar units. The international community should engage with these groups of experts that include regulators (i.e., government agencies), implementors (e.g., non-government organizations, research institutions, academics), and private sectors (e.g., corporations, financial institutions, and environmental consultants), and donor agencies including international development banks. The international community can then tackle global issues, as well as site-specific ones. By identifying the root causes of population decline, the international community can design and agree on an approach to address these causes by involving different expertise. The international community will need to appoint a specific institution or agency to synchronize the efforts.”
“During the 2nd session of the 5th United Nations General Assembly in March 2022, the Resolution on the Nexus between Animal Welfare, Environmental Welfare and Sustainable Development was endorsed. This resolution requests the UNEP to interrogate the nexus and to generate a report geared towards the protection of the planet, people and animals. The international community needs to support the implementation of the Resolution and to commit to future development programs that are guided by the policies formulated from the evidence of the report.”
“Action is urgently required, but this needs to be based on science and data, and not just on panic. The same data used to construct the Living Planet Index shows that populations of most mammal species in Europe are actually increasing vigorously. For example, since 1960, the European bison population has increased by over 16,000%! The explanation is simple: most European countries have been able to establish effective conservation efforts and have restored habitats, and this in turn has allowed species to recover. It is important to keep this in mind because it shows that action is still possible when there is a will.”
“Efforts to protect wild elephant habitats are essential, but there is a lot more the international community can do to save Asian elephants. One-third of the entire Asian elephant population currently lives under human care. Yet this key population has never been afforded the same conservation priority or status as wild elephants. International donors prefer to fund wild elephant conservation projects and tend to look down on the human-elephant relationship. This ultimately ignores 4,000 years of indigenous knowledge. While wild populations are critical, as a global community, let’s add some extra strings to our bows and help to conserve the elephants that live under human care as well. This means improving welfare standards and, in certain cases, allowing them to breed for conservation management purposes. Captive breeding programs are a vital part of any endangered species management plan, and Asian elephant populations should be afforded the same potential. There is a wealth of information and education that international communities can learn about captive elephant management from very experienced individuals and bodies. Perhaps it’s time that the international community stops trying to push an international ideology. We should stop opposing the captive Asian elephant population and start to consider how careful management and regulation of this significant population can help to save the entire Asian elephant species.”
“The long-term and effective conservation of biodiversity necessitates suitable policy instruments that will support the sustainable management of natural resources, the foundation of which is local training and capacity building. International communities should promote sustainable societal transformation. There has to be strong commitments to altering local and global attitudes toward the conservation of nature, biodiversity, and regional stability. In order to strongly influence policy change, it is necessary to develop principles and mechanisms for profiting from the sustainable use of biodiversity values as well as to increase environmental awareness and local community pride in the value and distinctiveness of wildlife species.”
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