Living Planet Report 2020 from WWF Reveals 68% in World's Wildlife Since 1970
Posted on September 11, 2020
The WWF has released the Living Planet Report 2020. The report indicates that global populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish have plunged by an average 68% since 1970. The report uses the The Living Planet Index (LPI), provided by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International, says in the announcement, "The Living Planet Report 2020 underlines how humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives. We can't ignore the evidence – these serious declines in wildlife species populations are an indicator that nature is unravelling and that our planet is flashing red warning signs of systems failure."
The report used data from from 4,392 species and 20,811 populations.
A CNN story on the report says habitat destruction on Earth could result in more pandemics like the current Covid-19 pandemic.
WWF-US President and CEO Carter Roberts says, "This report reminds us that we destroy the planet at our peril -- because it is our home. As humanity's footprint expands into once-wild places, we're devastating species populations. But we're also exacerbating climate change and increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases like Covid-19."
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