{"id":2942,"date":"2014-10-29T10:11:45","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T18:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/?p=2942"},"modified":"2014-10-29T10:11:45","modified_gmt":"2014-10-29T18:11:45","slug":"wildlife-population-down-by-half-in-20-years-as-human-populations-double","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/2014\/10\/29\/wildlife-population-down-by-half-in-20-years-as-human-populations-double\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildlife population down by half in 20 years, as human populations double"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Black-Rhinoceros-In-Masai-Mara-National-Park-In-Kenya-800x430\"<\/a>Raw Story<\/p>\n

Wildlife numbers have plunged by more than half in just 40 years as Earth\u2019s human population has nearly doubled, a survey of over 3,000 vertebrate species revealed on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

From 1970 to 2010, there was a 39-percent drop in numbers across a representative sample of land- and sea-dwelling species, while freshwater populations declined 76 percent, the green group WWF said in its 2014 Living Planet Report.<\/p>\n

Extrapolating from these figures, \u201cthe number of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish across the globe is, on average, about half the size it was 40 years ago,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The 52-percent decrease confirmed mankind was chomping through Nature\u2019s bounty much faster than the rate of replenishment, the WWF warned.<\/p>\n

The last Living Planet Report, in 2012, found a 28-percent drop in numbers from 1970-2008, but that was based on only 2,688 monitored species.<\/p>\n

The new report tracks the growth or decline of more than 10,000 populations of 3,038 species ranging from forest elephants to sharks, turtles and albatrosses.<\/p>\n

It stressed that humans were consuming natural resources at a rate that would require 1.5 Earths to sustain \u2014 cutting down trees faster than they mature and harvesting more fish than oceans can replace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are using nature\u2019s gifts as if we had more than just one Earth at our disposal,\u201d WWF Director General Marco Lambertini said in the foreword to the biennial publication.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy taking more from our ecosystems and natural processes than can be replenished, we are jeopardising our very future.\u201d<\/p>\n

While agricultural yield per hectare has improved through better farming and irrigation methods, the sheer human population explosion has reduced per capita \u201cbiocapacity,\u201d or available life-sustaining land.<\/p>\n

Human population numbers shot up from about 3.7 billion to nearly seven billion from 1970 to 2010.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo while biocapacity has increased globally, there is now less of it to go around,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n

And, it warned, \u201cwith the world population projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100, the amount of biocapacity available for each of us will shrink further.\u201d<\/p>\n

The survey highlighted differences between nations and regions in consumption and biodiversity loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cLow-income countries have the smallest footprint, but suffer the greatest ecosystem losses,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The wildlife decline was worst in the tropics with a 56 percent drop, compared with 36 percent in temperate regions.<\/p>\n

Latin America suffered the most drastic losses with an overall decline of 83 percent.<\/p>\n

Kuwaitis have largest footprint<\/strong><\/p>\n

There were also vast differences in nations\u2019 \u201cecological footprint\u201d \u2014 the mark their consumption leaves on the planet, measured per capita.<\/p>\n

The people of Kuwait had the biggest overall footprint, followed in the top 10 by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Denmark, Belgium, Trinidad and Tobago, Singapore, the United States, Bahrain and Sweden.<\/p>\n

Rich countries\u2019 biggest mark was in carbon emissions, while the impact of poor countries, at the tail end of the list, was mainly in consumption of land and forest products.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf all people on the planet had the footprint of the average resident of Qatar, we would need 4.8 planets,\u201d the report said, and 3.9 at US rates.<\/p>\n

Yet despite this vast consumption, almost a billion people do not have enough food and 768 million do not have access to clean water, it added.<\/p>\n

Protecting nature\u2019s endowment is equally important for rich and poor nations, Lambertini said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all in this together. We all need nutritious food, fresh water and clean air, wherever in the world we live.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raw Story Wildlife numbers have plunged by more than half in just 40 years as Earth\u2019s human population has nearly doubled, a survey of over 3,000 vertebrate species revealed on Tuesday. From 1970 to 2010, there was a 39-percent drop in numbers across a representative sample of land- and sea-dwelling species, while freshwater populations declined … <\/p>\n

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