Wildlife populations around the world are facing dramatic declines, according to new figures that have led environmental campaigners to call for urgent action to rescue the natural world. The 2022 Living Planet Index(LPI), produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), reveals that studied populations of mammals, birds, reptiles (爬行动物) and fish have seen an average decline of 69 per cent since 1970, faster than previous predictions. The LPI tracked global biodiversity between 1970 and 2018, based on the monitoring of 31,821 populations of 5230 vertebrate (脊椎动物) species. Mark Wright of WWF says the degree of decline is destructive and continues to worsen. "We are not seeing any really positive signs that we are beginning to bend the curve of nature," he says.
Freshwater vertebrates have been among the hardest-hit populations, with monitored populations showing an average decline of 83 per cent since 1970. The Amazon pink river dolphin, for example, has experienced a 65 per cent decline in its population between 1994 and 2016. Habitat loss and reduction is the largest driver of wildlife loss in all regions around the world.
In December, governments from around the world will gather in Montreal, Canada, for the COP15 Biodiversity Framework to agree on a set of new targets intended to prevent the loss of animals, plants and habitats globally by 2030. Robin, Freeman of ZSL, says "We need governments to take action to ensure that those goals deal with the complicated combined threats of climate change and biodiversity" says Freeman. But some researchers are critical of the LPI's use of a headline figure of decline, warning it is easy to be misunderstood.
The findings don't mean all species or populations worldwide are in decline. In fact, roughly half the populations show a stable or increasing trend, and half show a declining trend. "I think a more appropriate and useful way to look at it is to focus on specific species or populations," says Hannah Ritchie. But Wright says the LPI is a useful tool that reflects the findings of other biodiversity indicators. "All of those show they all scream there is something going really very badly wrong," says Wright.
