Drastic decline in wildlife populations

Wildlife populations declined by 68% between 1970 and 2016, and only 25% of the planet, parts not under ice, can still be considered wild.

This means that man has altered three-quarters of the planet that is not covered by ice. Only 13% of the world's ratings can be considered still untouched wilderness. The grim statistics come from a report by the non-profit World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the London Zoological Society (ZSL), based on global data on 20,811 populations of 4,392 vertebrate species. The devastation of wildlife populations has hit Latin America and the Caribbean the hardest, with animal populations declining by an average of 94% over the period.

Population declines of 65% in Africa, 34% in North America, 45% in the Asia-Pacific region, and 24% in Europe and Central Asia, including Russia.Food production is the biggest driver of wildlife loss, the report says, because now about half of the world's habitable land is already used for agriculture. Other factors such as insufficiently fast and efficient response to climate change, habitat loss due to various reasons, pollution and urbanization are also responsible for population decline and declining biodiversity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the acceleration of wildlife loss, as well as more frequent and large-scale fires across the planet such as those earlier this year in Australia, and fires currently active in California and Oregon. Fires contribute about 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which is the trigger for climate change. This report also refutes the widespread belief that "nature is renewed" during this pandemic.Humans are currently looking for 1.6 times more resources than what the Earth can renew.

That is, we as a species live beyond our means. Our needs for food and housing are at the expense of the wild. According to this report, about 30% of the land is used for agriculture, but at the same time about one third of the food is thrown away.

The loss of biodiversity is not only a matter of environmental protection but also of development, economy, global security, and ethics. Biodiversity plays a crucial role in the supply of food, water, energy, medicine, and is crucial for the regulation of climate on our planet, water quality, pollination services, flood control and storm surges.