All over the world, populations of wild animal species are plummeting. On average, they have fallen by 69 percent between 1970 and 2018, according to WWF’s new report. – The message is clear and the warning lights are flashing red, writes WWF Secretary General Marco Lambertini. The Living Planet report is WWF’s most important publication, and it comes out in a new edition every two years. This report differs from previous reports. The database is much larger. In total, WWF has looked at 32,000 populations and 5,230 species. This is still only a small selection of the world’s species. The organization Our Life In Data previously looked at the limitations of the methods in the report last time it was published in 2020. – This report confirms that the planet is in the middle of a biodiversity and climate crisis, and we have one last opportunity to act, writes WWF. One million species are at risk of extinction. Between 1 and 2.5 percent of the world’s species have already disappeared from the earth, WWF claims. Shark An example WWF highlights is the shark. The population of whitetip sharks has been reduced by 95 per cent in three generations. It is critically endangered. In general, populations of sea sharks and rays have been reduced by an average of more than 70 percent since 1970, mainly due to overfishing, writes the New York Times. Sharks are important for the ocean’s ecosystem, but have recently become sought after as food and for use in medicine. – Sharks are at the top of the food chain and important for keeping marine ecosystems in balance, as well as an important source of food for some local populations, says Assistant Secretary General of WWF Norway Else Hendel to news. The report points out that overfishing various shark species can have major and uncertain consequences. This can result in significant functional changes in the food webs of which the sharks are a part. THREATENED: The orangutan is an endangered species that is losing more and more of its habitat. Here is one in Borneo in Malaysia. Photo: Richard Barrett / WWF UK Uses 1.7 globes The report examines the “footprints” that humanity leaves on the earth. Among other things in the form of resource and land use. According to WWF, humans now use 75 percent more than the earth’s capacity annually. To maintain today’s lifestyle and use of nature, we therefore need 1.75 planets. – This overconsumption is eroding nature’s health, and with it humanity’s prospects, writes WWF. Half of the global economy is directly dependent on nature. – What we depend on is that the ecosystems work. It is a big game of chance that we operate in, says Hendel. Believes the government is weakening its commitment to nature – The climate and nature crisis are closely linked and must be combated with powerful political measures. So far, the government has shown neither the ability nor the will to take care of Norwegian nature, says Storting representative Ola Elvestuen (V). He believes we must use the report to develop strong policy going forward. Norway has already committed to protecting at least 30 percent of all nature in Norway by 2030. – Nevertheless, the government reverses and weakens the commitment to climate and nature. In the budget, they cut voluntary forest protection, water management, Klimasat, the national support scheme for measures against marine litter, environmental data and much more, says Elvestuen. Nature and Youth hopes that the report will also have consequences locally, and will lead to a wave of municipalities that will become area-neutral. – Locally, there are many people who are well on their way to taking care of animal diversity here in Norway. More than 30 municipalities have already decided that they will become area-neutral, says Gytis Blazevicius, specialist for nature in the Nature and Youth Central Board. Want clearer targets for nature One of the most important measures WWF points to in order to reduce and reverse the loss of biological diversity, are specific targets. In 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted at the climate summit in Paris. Practically all UN member states have joined the agreement. One of the goals in the agreement is that the world’s greenhouse gas emissions will be net zero by 2050. WWF wants a similar agreement for natural diversity. They want an agreement where the goal is for the world’s countries to reverse the trend by 2030. They hope to put this in place at the nature summit in Montreal in December. – It is a golden opportunity to turn the tide. A binding agreement must be in place that sets sufficiently ambitious goals, says Hendel.
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– The world’s animal populations have been reduced by two-thirds on average – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
