Context:
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Report 2022, there has been a 69% drop in the number of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish worldwide over the past 50 years (WWF).
- Every two years, this report is made available.
Relevance:
GS III: Environment and Ecology
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key findings of the Report
- What is the Living Planet Index?
- About WWF
- Recommendations of the Report
Key findings of the Report
- The region of Latin America and the Caribbean experienced the greatest drop in wildlife numbers (94%).
- Populations of freshwater species have decreased by 83% worldwide.
- About half of the hazards to the migratory fish species under observation were caused by habitat loss and obstructions to migration pathways.
- The Living Planet Index (LPI) revealed that the world’s tropical regions are experiencing a particularly alarming rate of decline in vertebrate animal populations.
- At a rate of 0.13% each year, mangroves are still being lost to aquaculture, agriculture, and coastal development.
- In addition to natural stressors like storms and coastal erosion, many mangroves are also harmed by overuse and pollution.
- WWF identified six key threats to biodiversity to highlight ‘threat hotspots’ for terrestrial vertebrates:
- Agriculture
- Hunting
- Logging
- Pollution
- Invasive Species
- Climate Change
What is the Living Planet Index?
- It works as an indicator of biodiversity health. It measures the state of the world’s biological diversity based on the population trends of vertebrate species.
- UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has adopted LPI as the indicator of progress towards the convention’s 2011-12 target to take actions to halt biodiversity loss.
- Institute of Zoology (ZSL) manages the Living Planet Index.
What does the Living Planet Index not monitor?
- The numbers of species lost or extinct
- Percentage of species declining
- Percentage of populations or individuals lost
About WWF:
- It is an international non-governmental organization
- It is the world’s largest conservation organization
- Founded in 1961
- Headquarter — Gland (Switzerland).
- Aim : Wilderness preservation & the reduction of human impact on the environment
Objectives:
- Conserving the world’s biological diversity
- Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
- Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption
Recommendations of the Report
- The planet is experiencing double emergencies of human-induced climate change and biodiversity loss, threatening the well-being of current and future generations. Biodiversity loss and climate crisis should be dealt with as one instead of two different issues as they are intertwined.
- A nature-positive future needs transformative, game-changing shifts in how we produce, how we consume, how we govern and what we finance.
- An all-inclusive collective approach towards a more sustainable path must be adopted. It will ensure that the costs and benefits from our actions are socially just and equitably shared.
-Source: Down to Earth
