WWF reports 70 % loss in global wildlife for climate change in last 5 decades; India faces extinction of 1000 species

The world has lost nearly 70 percent of its wildlife population in the last five decades and the speed of mass extinction is likely to quicken up unless global climate change can be countered, says a just published global report on biodiversity.

The Living Planet Report 2022, flagship publication of WWF that has been released today, has recorded “a devastating 69 percent drop” in global wildlife population since 1970; and pointed out that the world is in midst of interlinked double emergencies of climate change and biodiversity loss.

While India has been recently embroiled in a controversy to reintro, duce Cheetah from Namibia on Prime Minister Modi’s birthday; it is doing hardly better. A senior expert associated with WWF India pointed out that over 1000 species in the country are currently under extinction scanner.

India, incidentally, is ranked seventh globally among countries impacted by climate change in 2021; with its forest being the major casualty. “By 2030 almost 45 to 64 per cent of India’s forest will be impacted by climate change” said the WWF expert to The Plurals.

“We are living through climate and biodiversity crises … the cascading impacts of climate change are already affecting the natural world” reads the report, a copy of which is with The Plurals. The report further says that “unless we limit warming to 1.5 degree Centigrade, climate change is likely to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the coming decades”.

“We face the double emergencies of human induced climate change and biodiversity loss … WWF is extremely worried by this new data showing a devastating fall in wildlife populations,” reiterated Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International. The latest report has come up based on mega monitoring of almost 32000 populations of 5230 species; the biggest data set ever considered for such an analysis.

The report pointed out that “the main drivers of wildlife population decline are habitat degradation and loss, exploitation, the introduction of invasive species, pollution, climate change and disease” and explained that the factors played a crucial role in Africa’s 66 per cent and Asia Pacific’s 55 per cent drop in wildlife population.

The regional decline has been highest in Latin America; 94 percent; while fishes with 83 per cent loss is the most impacted wildlife group, the loss being linked with widespread loss of freshwater habitats across the world. The report says that “only 37 percent of rivers longer than 1000 km remain free flowing … and dams and reservoirs and their up- and downstream propagation of fragmentation and flow regulation are the leading contributors to the loss of river connectivity and biodiversity”. The analysis shows India is one of the worst impacted countries.

“Indian government should wake up to the situation as soon as possible; currently most of our so-called development policies are at loggerhead with reducing climate change and conserving biodiversity” , commented an independent wildlife expert, based on the report’s findings.

Sejal Worah of WWF – India pointed out that nearly 150 species of amphibians – toads and similar animals – are currently being threatened in India and more than 40 per cent of honey bees have disappeared during the last 25 years. The expert also reminded that 1004 species are currently under extinction crisis in India as per IUCN Red list – a list of endangered animals – which includes 81 critically endangered, 206 endangered, 394 vulnerable and 323 near threatened ones.

“The Living Planet Report 2022 shows how climate change and biodiversity loss are not only environmental issues but economic, development, security and social issues too; and therefore must be addressed together” said Ravi Singh, secretary general of WWF India.