Catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of global wildlife populations in just 50 years reveals a ‘system in peril’

That is the title of a press release from a recently released report by the Wold Wildlife Fund.

WWF’s flagship Living Planet Report details sharp declines in monitored wildlife populations with the steepest drops recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%), followed by North America (39%) and Europe and Central Asia (35%).

The press release continued:

Habitat loss and degradation and overharvesting, driven primarily by our global food system are the dominant threats to wildlife populations around the world, followed by invasive species, disease and climate change.

Translation: We are way far past any remotely sustainable human population. But we are no longer allowed to say that.

The full report can be downloaded.

They have created a nice web site to present the basic information for those with short attention spans.

The site states:

It’s not too late to save our living planet, but it will take some big changes. As well as making much greater efforts to conserve and restore nature, we need to tackle the causes of its destruction by transforming our food, energy and finance systems.

Since the late 1990’s, there is a marketing strategy in use by organizations working in conservation and global warming. You always have to be upbeat and say “it’s not too late” with the goal of not making it look hopeless.

Well, I have been working in the field of conservation for about a quarter of a century and it became very clear to me, very fast, that it is hopeless without some massive reduction in the stressors (i.e. human population), but my understanding that the situation is hopeless, based on the facts, based on the reality of the situation, in no way diminishes my drive and efforts to push for change.