This is the 15th edition of the “Living Planet Report”. Here, the global environmental organization WWF presents the development of almost 35,000 animal populations worldwide. A green turtle and two hawksbill turtles are on their way to the sea. The picture is from the report. Photo: WWF-Australia/ Christine Hof 5,495 species are monitored, within the groups of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles. The results are clear: From 1970–2020, the size of the monitored populations has fallen by a whopping 73 per cent on average. The population of jaguars is declining. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it counts as “near threatened”. The image is taken from the report. Photo: Karine Aigner / naturepl.com / WWF Species in freshwater have been hit hardest, where populations have declined on average by 85 per cent, followed by species on land with a decline of 69 per cent and species in the sea by 56 per cent. Some species in the report In Norway: Mammals on land: Wolf, wolverine, wild reindeer, lynx, arctic fox, brown bear and deer. Mammals in the sea: Minke whales, humpback whales and otter whales. Saltwater fish: Common redfish, cod, hake and black skate. Freshwater fish: Salmon, trout, char, tench and eel. Birds: Auk, puffin, loon, grebe, eider, horned grebe, greylag goose, herring gull, gray gull, barn swallow, reed sparrow, yellow sparrow and many more. Other countries: Hawksbill turtle: 57 percent decline in the number of nesting females between 1990 and 2018 on Milman Island in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Amazon dolphin: 65 percent decline in population between 1994 and 2016 in Mamirauá Reserve, Brazil. Brazilian delta dolphin (tucuxi): 75 percent population decline between 1994 and 2016 in the Mamirauá Reserve in Amazonas, Brazil. King salmon: 88 percent decline 1970 in Sacramento River, California, USA. African forest elephant: 78-81 percent decline between 2004 and 2014 in Minkébé National Park, Gabon. Ringed penguin: An average of 61 percent decline between 1980 and 2019, based on 94 colonies in Antarctica. The situation is better in Norway than globally. Nevertheless, according to the report, there are several stocks that are also going back here. WWF monitors 600 stocks, which are wholly or partly located in Norway and which are included in the figures in the report. The wild oxen entered the Red List in 2021. This is also a species WWF monitors. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn / news – Must stop before it’s too late – A massive effort is required if we are to stop the loss of nature before it’s too late. That’s what Karoline Andaur, secretary general of the WWF World Wildlife Fund, says. Loss and destruction of habitats is the main threat to the animal population, according to the report. Coral bleaching is when the corals get rid of the algae that give them their colour. This is as a result of stress factors such as increased sea temperature, ocean acidification and pollution. Photo: © theundertow.ocean & @diversforclimate Then comes food production and overharvesting, the introduction of alien species, various diseases, pollution and climate change. According to the UN’s estimates, three quarters of the world’s land has been changed by human activities, and a million species may become extinct this century. Extreme drought causes fires to spread quickly. This photo is from Apui in the state of Amazon. Photo: Adriano Machado / Reuters Nature’s ecosystems are important for people. They ensure, among other things, that the climate is regulated, that we get food, medicine and clean water. At an ecological tipping point, the ecosystem tips over into a completely different state and is unable to return to its original form. Natural intervention and pollution The fastest decline in animal populations can be found in Latin America and the Caribbean, the report shows. There the decline is as much as 95 per cent and it is reported that climate change is the biggest threat. Dag O. Hessen is a biology professor and says that climate change has until now played a modest role when it comes to the decline in populations. – But now we see that it is emerging as an increasingly important stress factor. It emphasizes the seriousness, and there is reason to believe that it will increase. Africa has had a decline of 75 per cent since 1970. In Asia and the Pacific the decline is 60 per cent. In Europe and Central Asia the decline is 35 per cent, and in North America 39 per cent. The report indicates that the figures are lower here, because major interventions in nature were made long before 1970, particularly due to enormous food production, the introduction of new species, pollution and diseases. There are bright spots European bison were completely extinct in the wild. The last animal was shot in 1920, but a small population was kept in captivity. In 1954, some were released into the wild. From 0, they have increased to 6,800 animals, in the period 1950 to 2020, based on stocks in ten European countries. The mountain gorilla has also had slightly better times, with a 3 percent increase per year between 2010 and 2016, in the Virunga Massif, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The mountain monkeys are doing a little better. This is shown in this year’s WWF report. Photo: naturepl.com / Eric Baccega / WWF / Eric Baccega Day O. Hessen says there is a bright spot. He himself indicates that the decline continues, but that it is not happening at the same rapid rate as before. – We must act now. On October 21, the countries of the world will meet for the nature summit in Cali, Colombia. The countries will then follow up on the agreement from 2022, which was called a Paris agreement for nature. Among other things, the agreement stated that 30 percent of land and sea should be protected and preserved. – The Nature Agreement’s ambition for protection is extremely important. If you protect areas, you protect the organisms. Dag O. Hessen explains this and points out that there is a large, invisible biological diversity that we do not know about, and which we must take care of. – Fortunately, while time is running out, we are not yet past the point of no return. That’s what the head of WWF, Kirsten Schuijt, says. At the end of last month, the Norwegian government presented its nature report, a plan that presents how Norway would follow up the nature agreement from 2022. So far, environmental organizations and several political parties have been disappointed by the level of ambition in the report. In a press release, Schuijt writes how urgent it is. – But it will require bold leadership and an enormous collective effort from the authorities, companies and the whole of society to reach these global goals by 2030. Then we can avoid the tipping points. Nature may begin to recover and temperatures may stabilize, but we must act now, push for change and hold each other accountable. Living Planet Report 2024 An average decline of 73 percent has been recorded in monitored animal populations from 1970 to 2020. The decline is most marked in freshwater systems (85 percent), then on land (69 percent) and in marine areas (56 percent). Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced an average decline of as much as 95 percent. Africa has seen a 76 percent decline, while the Asia Pacific region has experienced a 60 percent decline. In Europe and North America, there were major natural impacts already before 1970, which gives a less negative trend in these regions. North America has recorded a decrease of 39 percent, while Europe and Central Asia show a decrease of 35 percent. The main reasons for the decline in populations are the loss and degradation of habitats, primarily driven by the way humans produce food. Other important threats include overharvesting, alien species, disease, pollution and climate change. Although WWF has monitored many species, this is still only a selection of the world’s species. The organization Our Life In Data previously looked at the limitations of the methods in the report when it came out in 2020. Published 10/10/2024, at 01.01
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Large decline in animal populations worldwide – news – Klima
