The number of wildlife is decreasing rapidly in the world including in India

Posted on 13th Oct 2022 by rohit kumar

The number of wildlife is decreasing rapidly all over the world. In WWF's Living Planet Report (LPR) 2022, the number of wildlife observed has declined by an average of 69 percent.

 

Appeal to stop loss of biodiversity

This inspection was done between the years 1970 and 2018 of 32 thousand organisms of 5230 species. These included mammals, birds, amphibians, and all reptiles. Surprisingly, the number of aquatic organisms has also decreased by an average of 83 percent. The report also highlights the worrying future of the state of nature and appeals to governments, companies, and individuals to stop the loss of biodiversity by urgently altering nature's adverse activities.

 

An average 94 percent reduction in the number of animals

It has also been mentioned in the report that at present the Earth is surrounded by a double crisis at the global level. The interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are central to our activities. The report also indicates that the number of wildlife observed in the Latin American and Caribbean region decreased by an average of 94 percent between 1970 and 2018.

 

Climate change is also a major reason

Habitat degradation and loss, use, invasive animal intrusion, pollution, climate change, and disease are the main causes of this decline in wildlife numbers worldwide. During the same period, many of these factors led to a 66 percent reduction in wildlife in Africa and a total of 55 percent in the Asia Pacific. The reduction of 83 in the number of aquatic animals is the biggest decline in the number of any species.

 

Damage to many alluvial forests

The LPR also mentions the role of alluvial forests, whose conservation and restoration can provide a favorable solution for biodiversity, climate, and people. Although important, alluvial forests continue to decline at an annual rate of 0.13 percent due to fisheries, agriculture, and coastal development. Natural stresses such as storms and coastal erosion, as well as overuse and pollution, cause the loss of many alluvial forests.

 

Decreased land and ecosystem services

The degradation of these alluvial forests results in the loss of biodiversity habitat and loss of ecosystem services to coastal communities. In some areas, it can cause damage to areas where coastal communities live. The report mentions that since 1985, 137 square kilometers of alluvial forests in the Sundarbans have been eroded, resulting in the loss of land and ecosystem services for many of the 10 million people living there.

 

Improvement is necessary for the future

The report also clearly states that without recognizing and respecting the leadership of the rights, governance, and protection of indigenous peoples and local communities around the world, building a nature-friendly future is not possible. These two hazards can be mitigated by increasing conservation and restoration activities, especially more and more sustainable production and use of food, and by making all regions as carbon-free as possible promptly.

 

related problems need to be solved

Ravi Singh, Secretary General, WWF India said that the Living Planet Report 2022 shows how climate change and loss of biodiversity are not just environmental problems but also problems for the economy, development, security, and society. Therefore, they should also be resolved together.

 

India will also be affected

It is being told that the impact of climate change in India will be on water resources, agriculture, natural ecosystems, health, and the food chain. We need an all-inclusive collective approach that ensures that the costs and benefits of human activities are socially justified and that everyone has an equal share in them.

 

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