According to the Living Planet Index created by the London Zoological Society and the World Wildlife Federation, populations of wild animals have decreased by an average of more than fifty percent over the past forty years.
on.aol.com
The Telegraph reported on Sept. 30, that over the last 40 years, the earth’s animal population has dwindled down to approximately 48 percent. According to a report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) the decline in animal populations includes animals of all ilk, whether they be of land, air or water.
Getty Images
The decline in animal populations is due to “uncontrollable human expansion.” The side effects of things such as deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, pollution, oil and gas development, overhunting and overfishing, as well as the plain expansion of human need and greed, which is known asthe carbon footprint, are to blame.
The WWF website speaks to the human demands that we put onto this planet. Currently, the demands placed on Earth’s resources (our collective carbon or ecological footprint) surpass what is possible for the Earth to support. The fund says, “We use the equivalent of 1.5 Earths to produce all the renewable resources we use. As the human population grows, the challenge of reducing our footprint becomes more urgent.”
The decrease in numbers is staggering. While bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian and fish populations have declined on average by 52 percent, freshwater creatures have seen an even greater decline of approximately 76 percent. The Telegraph writes “In Britain, the turtle dove has declined by 95 percent, while seals, toads, red squirrels, moths, dormice, hedgehogs and hares are also suffering.” And there are many more creatures on the list that are endangered or vulnerable to extinction.
This is an urgent wake up call that requires everyone to cut back on their consumption of renewable resources, the WWF earnestly warns. We must get all hands on deck. If we continue on in the same fashion, more animals will die off with repercussions globally in biodiversity and more.
Ken Norris, the director of the Zoological Society of London told The Telegraph, "The scale of biodiversity loss and damage to the very ecosystems that are essential to our existence is alarming,” and though we should be deeply concerned enough to act, we should not lose hope as there is good news! The good news is that there is a known cause. And while the fact of animal populations dwindling is not part of that good news, knowing the causes of their dwindling is.
Reports state that animals are losing their habitats. Knowing this, it becomes possible to come up with solutions. As a result of this knowledge, it becomes important not only to cut back on our own consumption of renewable resources but to work in the political arena to arrange agreements in the realm of the global climate issue. Work needs to be done on a very large scale and very quickly. "This damage is not inevitable, but a consequence of the way we choose to live. Although the report shows the situation is critical, there is still hope. Protecting nature needs focused conservation action, political will and support from businesses,” Norris said.
The WWF’s Living Planet Report is a science-based analysis that looks at the Earth’s health, as well as how human activity is affecting the planet. In their report, more than 10,000 animal populations were looked at, spanning the breadth of over 3,000 different animal species.
*originally published on the now defunct Examiner.com
No comments:
Post a Comment