Global wildlife population drops 73% in 50 years, WWF report finds
The report says that the biggest losses were in freshwater habitats, where wildlife declined by 85%. Land habitats saw a 69% decline, and animals in oceans and seas decreased by 56%.
The global wildlife population has dropped by 73% in the last 50 years, according to a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) called the Living Planet Report 2024. This is a bigger decrease than the 69% drop reported just two years ago. The report says that the biggest losses were in freshwater habitats, where wildlife declined by 85%. Land habitats saw a 69% decline, and animals in oceans and seas decreased by 56%.
Kirsten Schuijt, the head of WWF International, stressed how serious the situation is, saying that nature is in trouble. She warned that the combined problems of losing nature and climate change are pushing wildlife and ecosystems to a breaking point. This could harm the important systems that support life on Earth and put human societies in danger.
The report says the main reason for the decline in wildlife is the loss and damage of natural habitats, mostly because of how food is produced. Other reasons include overuse of wildlife, the spread of harmful non-native species, and diseases. These problems, along with the effects of climate change, are putting huge pressure on animals and the environments they live in around the world.
In the Asia-Pacific region, including India, pollution is another reason why wildlife populations have dropped by an average of 60%. The Living Planet Index (LPI), which is used by WWF and the Zoological Society of London, looked at 32,000 groups of animals from 5,230 different species to measure these declines in wildlife numbers.
South America, Africa, and Asia see the largest declines
The most significant drops in wildlife populations occurred in regions such as South America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. In Europe and North America, the decline was smaller. WWF said this is because damage to nature in these regions happened mostly before 1970, which is when the report started tracking the data, leading to smaller drops in recent years.
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
The legal framework for wildlife protection in India is provided by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The law extends to conservation of species of wild animals and plants, their habitat management, and trade in such animals, plants, and derivative products. The Act also contains schedules where different plants and animals are classified according to the level of protection and monitoring they require from the government.
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