The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently released its comprehensive Living Planet Report 2018, which includes the latest developments in the Living Planet Index. The report sheds light on alarming changes and declines in species distribution, extinction risk and community composition and offers a grim portrayal of the state of our planet’s biodiversity.
Understanding the Living Planet Index (LPI)
A beacon indicating the status of global biodiversity and planetary health, the LPI has been published since 1998. It meticulously follows the population abundance of thousands of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians worldwide, illustrating the ongoing evolution of these species.
Dismal Key Findings of the Report
The report illuminates a potential global catastrophe, revealing significant declines in wildlife populations and biodiversity. The primary culprits remain overexploitation of species and land conversion for agriculture. The most affected is Latin America, witnessing a staggering 90% loss of wildlife.
The index showcasing extinction risk for five key groups – birds, mammals, amphibians, corals and cycads shows an exponential fall. Our planet has entered into a mass extinction event, the sixth in half-a-billion years, with current extinction rates skyrocketing to 100 – 1,000 times the natural rate.
The Breaching of Planetary Boundaries
Human activity and expansion are weighing heavily on Earth’s natural processes and systems. We’ve breeched two critical thresholds: species loss and imbalance in nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, mainly due to fertilizer use. Other boundaries related to climate change, land degradation, ocean acidification, freshwater supply, and chemical pollutants are under threat as well.
Forests on the Decline
Escalating human consumption drives unprecedented planetary change. Nearly 20% of the Amazon rainforest has vanished in the past five decades due to increased demand for land, water, and energy. Other tropical forests are disappearing at an alarming rate as well.
Oceans Under Threat
Ocean acidification, pollution and overfishing pose grave dangers to marine ecosystems. Plastic pollution pervades all marine environments, even reaching the depths of the Mariana Trench.
| Fact 1 | Fact 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Since 1950 | 6 billion tonnes of sea creatures have been extracted | 50% of shallow-water coral reefs have died off |
| Over the last 50 years | Coastal mangrove forests have declined by up to half | 20% of the Amazon rainforest has disappeared |
The Path Forward
Despite the grim findings, there is a unique window of opportunity for change. The setting of new post-2020 targets for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals provide avenues for course correction. Responsive action from governments, businesses, research bodies, civil society, and individuals can contribute significantly towards reversing these concerning trends.