The World Wide Fund for Nature has published the Living Planet 2022 report, which analyzes the state of biodiversity in the world. Dangerous trends in wildlife persist, although thanks to the coordinated work of environmental organizations in some regions, the situation has begun to improve.
To calculate the Living Planet Index, 32,000 vertebrate populations were considered. For freshwater, this index was at the level of 83%. This suggests that they remain the most vulnerable to the active development of wildlife by mankind.
“The Living Planet Index is an analogue of GDP for the animal world. This is an indicator that reports what is happening with the planet, and this indicator has been lit red for several years. And we hope that one day, thanks to joint work, it will change color and the level of biodiversity will begin to grow, ”the press service quotes the words of Dmitry Gorshkov, director of the fund.
He noted that biological diversity is a complex single mechanism on which people's lives directly depend, among other things. “When important parts start to fall out of this mechanism, it starts to fail,” Gorshkov said.
According to the published report, the Living Planet Index also differs for different continents. In South America and the Caribbean, the average population size has declined by 94% since 1970, while in Europe and Central Asia it is only 18%.
“This is due, firstly, to the great wealth of biodiversity on the southern continent, and secondly, to the fact that the active development of wildlife and the ensuing biodiversity crisis in Europe occurred long before 1970,” the press service said. .
The main drivers of biodiversity loss are agriculture, poaching, logging, pollution, invasive species and climate change.
Changes in land use continue to pose the greatest threat. They destroy the natural habitats of many species of terrestrial, freshwater and marine plants and animals.
The report stressed that the threat from climate change could come to the fore in the coming decades if CO2 emissions are not contained. Rising temperatures are already causing human migration and species extinction. Each degree of warming can increase these losses and increase their impact not only on nature, but also on people. Most of all, the consequences of climate change are felt by the inhabitants of the Arctic.
“In order to preserve biological diversity and not only nullify the negative trend of population decline, but also bring this indicator to a plus, well-coordinated work of environmental organizations, the state, business and ordinary people is necessary. In particular, it is necessary to pay special attention to adaptation to climate change and help animals survive in new conditions, adapt to them and flourish as before,” the foundation believes.
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