WWF report: ‘Huge impact of human activity, 60 per cent fall in wildlife population

The News

• The ‘Living Planet Report 2018’ of WWF has indicated a severe global biodiversity decline as result of explosion of human activities since 1970s.

Key Observations

• The ‘Living Planet Index’ tracks the state of global biodiversity by measuring the population abundance of 4000 vertebrate species.

According to the report:

• There is a decline of 60% in population sizes of vertebrate species between 1970 and 2014.
• The biodiversity decline is severe in the tropics.
• South and Central America is the worst affected region with 89% loss compared to 1970.
• The worst hit biomes are Freshwater biomes with 83% decline in the Freshwater species numbers.
• The Great Acceleration in human activities after the industrial revolution has resulted in the biodiversity decline with large scale social, economic and ecological changes
• The main drivers of biodiversity decline are overexploitation of species, agriculture and land-use conversion.

Summary of the Report

Importance of Biodiversity

• The global monetary value of services provided by nature is estimated to be around US$125 trillion a year.
• According to Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005 the benefits of nature are categorized as:

1. Provisioning services: products directly obtained from ecosystems.
2. Regulating services: benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes.
3. Cultural services: nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems
4. Supporting services: services that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services.

Major Threats

• Land Based Biodiversity
  • The key drivers of biodiversity decline are overexploitation and agriculture.
  • 75% of the extinct were due to overexploitation or agricultural activity or both.
  • Agriculture has led to Habitat loss and Deforestation
  • Overexploitation of forest resources has led to Deforestation
  • Invasive species due to trade-related activities such as shipping
  • Land degradation due to dams, fires and mining have led to Habitat destruction.
• Water-based biodiversity
• Oceans
  • Overfishing and aquaculture have contributed to a decline in the extent of mangroves by 30% to 50%
  • Plastic pollution has severely affected marine life.
  • Climate change has severely resulted in mass-coral bleaching.
• Fresh-water bodies
  • Human settlements, infrastructure, water use, pollution, overexploitation, invasive species and climate change are impinging on all aspects of the health of rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

• Pollinators: Growing threat to pollinators could severely affect nutritional security because:
  • About 87% of all flowering plant species are pollinated by animals.
  • 35% of global food production consists of crops that are partially pollinated by animals.
• Soil biodiversity is degraded due to:
  • Loss of above-ground diversity
  • Pollution and nutrient overloading
  • Overgrazing
  • Intensive agriculture
  • Fire
  • Soil erosion
  • Desertification
  • Climate change

Way Forward: Biodiversity 2050

• The CBD 2050 vision is that “biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people”.
• Conference of Parties to Convention of biodiversity to be held in 2020 should clearly specify the goal for biodiversity recovery.
• Develop a set of measurable and relevant indicators of progress
• Identify actions to deliver the required transformation in global biodiversity
• Agree a suite of actions that can collectively achieve the goal in the required timeframe.

About World Wildlife Fund

• WWF is an independent conservation organization.
• During 1960s conservation of nature and natural resources lacked funding.
• In order to ensure sufficient funding in conservation activities the Morges Manifesto was signed in 1961 by leading conservationists
• As a result World Wildlife Fund was established as an international fundraising organization.
• WWF’s Mission is:
  • Stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment
  • Conserving the world’s biological diversity
  • Ensuring sustainable use of renewable natural resources.