The latest Living Planet Report 2020 by the World Wildlife Fund has shed light on an alarming reality: wildlife populations have plummeted by a staggering two-thirds within the last half-century. From 1970 to 2016, there has been a 68% reduction in the global wildlife population, highlighting a crisis situation for biodiversity worldwide.
The Impact of Land Use Change
The report points out that land use changes have caused the highest loss of biodiversity across the globe. The regions most affected include Europe and Central Asia with a loss of 57.9%, North America at 52.5%, Latin America and Caribbean at 51.2%, Africa at 45.9%, and Asia at 43%. The drastic change in land use is posing one of the greatest threats to biodiversity on land.
Decline in Freshwater Wildlife
Freshwater ecosystems have seen some of the sharpest declines. The report indicates that freshwater wildlife has plummeted by 84% since 1970, translating to an average decline of about 4% per year. This can be mainly attributed to the degradation and deforestation driven by food production processes.
Conditions of Land and Oceans
Approximately 75% of the Earth’s ice-free land surface has been considerably altered and most of the oceans are polluted now. Wetlands have also suffered severe losses, with over 85% of their area disappearing between 1970 and 2016 due to the encroachments and pollutions.
Biodiversity Loss in India
India, despite having only 2.4% of global land share, possesses about 8% of global biodiversity and supports around 16% of the global population. However, the country has witnessed a considerable loss in its wild mammals, amphibians, and birds over the last five decades. Due to its high population size, even though the ecological footprint per person is less than 1.6 global hectares, the overall impact on the environment remains notably high.
Factors Driving Wildlife Decline
The primary factors responsible for this decline include changes in land use, the use and trade of wildlife, natural habitat loss, and degradation and deforestation caused by food production processes.
The Urgency of Conservation Efforts
Conservation efforts need to be ramped up now more than ever as the health of nature is intimately linked to human health. Destruction of forests and wilderness is often associated with the emergence of new infectious diseases like Covid-19. Furthermore, healthy ecosystems are fundamental to the functioning of our global economies and societies. As more species approach extinction, the life support systems on which civilization depends start to crumble.
The Convention on Biological Diversity
Since 1993, the legally binding treaty of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has strived to conserve biodiversity, promote sustainable use of biodiversity components, and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources. Its mission is to halt the decline and start the recovery of terrestrial wildlife trends by 2050 or earlier.
Government Initiatives in India
In response to the biodiversity crisis, the Indian Government has implemented several initiatives such as the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Water Act 1974, Air Act 1981, Environment Protection Act 1986, Biodiversity Act 2002, and Forest Dwellers Act 2006.
Areas of Action
Action areas include establishing large-scale conservation reserves in biodiversity hotspots, transforming food systems for higher efficiency, restoring degraded lands, and afforestation.
Conclusion
Given the magnitude of the biodiversity crisis, concerted policy measures are needed to transform our relationship with the land and rapidly scale down pollution. Through proper conservation measures, we can mitigate climate change, reduce pressure on water resources, curtail nitrogen pollution in waterways, and boost human health.