Signal Average wildlife populations down roughly 69 to 73 per cent

Summary

Citing the WWF Living Planet Report, the report states that the average population size of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles worldwide has fallen by about 69 to 73 percent. The decline is especially steep in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, which the report reads as a sign of severe disruption of ecosystems. In the same context it gives the figure of roughly one million plant and animal species now close to extinction. The report judges that global biodiversity is shrinking at an unprecedented rate and that responses so far have not been enough to stop the trend. These losses stem largely from land use, the shrinking of natural areas, pollution and climate change, and they weaken the foundations of the world economy, food security and health.