Is wildlife disappearing? A 73% decline in animal populations since 1970

LONDON, 8 October /ATSH-DPA/ – Nature across the world is experiencing a very rapid decline in animal populations, but the return of some species, from tigers to tuna fish, shows that this situation can be improved.

The international nature conservation organisation WWF published its new “Living Planet” report, which shows that the world’s wildlife populations have shrunk by an average of 73% since 1970.

However, there are also positive signs. In Great Britain, for example, otters, beavers, white-tailed sea eagles and Atlantic bluefin tuna have returned to areas where they had disappeared or become very rare.

In another case, the European bison has returned to the wild in 10 countries, after more than 50 years of work breeding them in controlled conditions and returning them to their natural habitats.

WWF said animal populations can recover surprisingly quickly if immediate measures are taken.

But the organisation warns that direct protection of animals and habitats alone is not enough to restore nature on a global scale.

According to WWF, major changes are needed in the way the energy, food production and finance systems work, because these systems are contributing to the damage to nature.

The report says that in the energy sector, positive and rapid changes may already be taking place.

The data of the “Living Planet Index”, prepared together with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), show that wildlife populations across the world fell by an average of 73% from 1970 to 2022.

This does not mean that 73% of all the animals in the world have disappeared.

It is about the size of animal populations. The researchers looked at how much animal groups in different areas have grown or shrunk.

The study analysed 35,803 populations belonging to 5,790 species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

The researchers used various methods to count and track the animals, including cameras in nature, analysing tracks and animal droppings, and observations from the air.

One positive fact is that half of the populations studied were stable or growing.

The report brings several concrete success stories. The number of tigers in the wild has risen by 70% since 2010, thanks to coordinated efforts to protect them.

There has also been a return of sea otters in North America, elephants in southern Africa, green turtles and Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna.

WWF’s chief science adviser, Mike Barrett, said these cases show that “there is reason for hope”, even though on a global scale wildlife populations continue to fall.

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a migratory fish that was once very common off the British coasts.

Their numbers had fallen by 80% by 2010 and the species was considered endangered.

Afterwards, measures taken by governments and industry helped increase their numbers.

Today, according to the report, fishing of this species is no longer considered to be at excessive levels and bluefin tuna has returned to British waters, where it can now be seen and caught again.

Otters in Great Britain were also “on the verge of extinction”, but today they are relatively common in the country.

Meanwhile, beavers and white-tailed sea eagles, which had disappeared from some areas, have returned through reintroduction programmes.

Barrett said these cases show that species can recover and return to nature if the right policies, protection measures and laws are implemented.

But he stressed that these are positive cases within an overall picture that continues to be negative.

According to the report, some of the main causes are climate change, caused mainly by the burning of oil, gas and coal; agriculture, which is the main cause of the loss of natural habitats; and financial systems, which continue to direct investments towards activities that harm nature.

The report stresses that restoring nature is vital because it provides us with food, clean air, fresh water, helps regulate the climate and provides resources for producing medicines.

Nature is also the basis for around half of the world economy, with an estimated value of around 58 trillion dollars in 2023.

Barrett said that the loss of biodiversity — the shrinking of the variety of animals, plants and organisms on Earth — is now widely considered a serious threat to economic stability, security and people’s wellbeing.

WWF warns that if a negative tipping point is reached, such as the collapse of the world’s warm-water coral reefs, it may be too late to bring them back.

But the same thing can also happen in a positive way.

For example, the shift from oil, gas and coal towards clean energy, such as solar power and electric vehicles, can create a change that accelerates itself.

According to WWF, the food and finance systems can also be steered in this direction.

This would require, among other things, agriculture that protects and improves nature; more sustainable ways of eating; directing money and investments away from activities that harm nature; fewer subsidies for agricultural activities that damage the environment and less financial support for the use of fossil fuels.

WWF says governments and companies should think more about long-term benefits, and not only about immediate profits.

Also, local communities and indigenous peoples should have legal rights and authority over the lands they manage, while farmers and workers in the oil, gas and coal industries should receive support to move to other professions and activities.