SHRINKING BIODIVERSITY
1. Context
According to the most recent Living Planet Report 2022, published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), monitored wildlife populations, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish, have seen a decline in population by 69% between 1970 and 2018.
2. Key Findings of Living Planet Report, 2022
2.1 At Global Level
- Wild life populations: Monitored wildlife populations — including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish — have seen a 69% drop between 1970 and 2018. Latin America and the Caribbean regions have seen the largest decline of monitored wildlife populations globally, with an average decline of 94% between 1970 and 2018. During the same period, monitored populations in Africa plummeted by 66%, while Asia Pacific’s monitored populations fell by 55%.
- New Species: With 838 new species and a little over 11,000 new populations, this year's report recorded 32,000 species populations of 5,230 species.
- Oceans: The global abundance of 18 of 31 oceanic sharks have declined by 71% over the last 50 years. By 2020 three-quarters of sharks and rays were threatened with extinction.
- Most threatened species: Freshwater populations have declined the most, with an average 83% decline between 1970 and 2018.
- Cycads -an ancient group of seed plants -are the most threatened species, while corals are declining the fastest, followed by amphibians.
- Mangroves: Despite their importance, mangroves continue to be deforested by aquaculture, agriculture and coastal development at a rate of 0.13% annually. For instance, 137 km of the mangrove forest in the Sundarbans have been lost to erosion since 1985. According to a study, there are still areas where mangroves are being lost, particularly in Myanmar.
2.2 Scenario In India
- According to the WWF-India program director, the country's population of honeybees and 17 species of freshwater turtles has declined during this time period.
- According to the report, the Himalayan region and the Western Ghats are some of the most vulnerable regions in terms of biodiversity loss in the country, and increased biodiversity loss is expected in the future if temperatures rise.
- Projects like the recent cheetah translocation are thus beneficial to species preservation, and India has seen successes like Project Tiger or projects for one-horned rhinos and lions.
- Because of the conservation of these species, there is an umbrella effect on all other species living in that habitat.
3. About Living Planet Report
- Published biennially by WWF since 1998, the Living Planet Report is the world's leading, science-based analysis, on the health of our planet and the impact of human activity.
- It is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation.
- The Living Planet Index, managed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in collaboration with the WWF, is an indicator of the state of global biological diversity based on trends in vertebrate populations of species from around the world.
4. About World Widelife Fund(WWF)
- It is an international non-governmental organisation founded in 1961. It is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland.
- It is the world's largest conservation organisation that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment.
- It is a foundation with 65% of funding from individuals and bequests (properties given by will), 17% from government sources (such as the World Bank, USAID, etc) and 8% from corporations in 2020.
- Since 1995, WWF has invested over $1 billion in over 12,000 conservation initiatives with the goal of halting the degradation of the planet's natural environment and constructing a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
For Prelims
| For Prelims: Living Planet Report, World Widelife Fund(WWF), Himalayan region, the Western Ghats, Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Cheetah translocation and Project Tiger. |
Source: The Indian Express
