The average size of wildlife populations monitored by scientists has declined by 73% over the last 50 years, according to a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The data is based on the Living Plant Index provided by the Zoological Society of London and the percentage change is based on the average proportional change in monitored animal population sizes — not the number of individual animals lost nor the number of populations lost.
Freshwater animal populations have suffered the heaviest declines followed by terrestrial and marine populations, the report stated.
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WWF said nature loss and climate change including the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the mass die-off of coral reefs are major contributing factors to the population decline.
The next five years are crucial in stopping the population loss, WWF’s report highlighted, emphasizing the importance of lawmakers passing policies for food and water conservation as well as transforming energy use.
WWF said finances should be redirected towards sustainable practices to help address the issue.
"The good news is that money is available, but it must be urgently reallocated to accelerate the green and just transition of companies, and stop harming our planet Earth. Right now, the consequences of inaction are putting our own society at risk of collapse,” said Sebastien Godinot, senior economist at the WWF European Policy Office, in a statement.
