WWF: World has lost more than half its wildlife in 40 years

The world's animal population has halved in
40 years as humans put unsustainable demands on Earth, a new report
warns.
The World Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Index, released
Tuesday, revealed the dramatic decline in animal species, and said the
trend could cost the world billions in economic losses.
Humans need one and a half Earths to sustain their current demands, it
said.
The index, which draws on research around WWF's
database of 3,000 animal species, is released every
two years. This year's has the starkest warning yet of
the risks associated with the decline of wildlife.
The fund notes that it's relying on a never-before-used
methodology in this year's report, "which aims to be
more representative of global biodiversity."
The index showed shows a 52% decline in wildlife
between 1970 and 2010, far more than earlier
estimates of 30%. It is due to people killing too many
animals for food and destroying their habitats.
"We are eating into our natural capital, making it more
difficult to sustain the needs of future generations," the
report said.
Researchers from the Zoological Society of London
looked at changes in populations of more than 3,000
species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and
fish, tracking over 10,000 different populations.
Photos: Spectacular wildlife around the world
The decline in animals living in rivers, lakes and
wetlands is the worst -- 76% of freshwater wildlife
disappeared in just 40 years. Marine species and
animals living on land suffered 39% decline in their
populations.
Animals living in tropics are the worst hit by what
WWF calls "the biggest recorded threats to our
planet's wildlife" as 63% of wildlife living in tropics
has vanished. Central and South America shows the
most dramatic regional decline, with a fall of 83%.
And while the animals are suffering now, the long-term
impact will be on people, the report said.
Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF
International, said "protecting nature is not a luxury....it
is quite the opposite. For many of the world's poorest
people, it is a lifeline."
According to Lambertini, the threat to oceans could
create economic losses of up to $428 billion by 2050.
The global fishing sector employs more than 660
million people, and fish provide more than 15% of
protein in people's diet.
Global food security is under threat as the demands of
growing population drain the resources. Forests
provide water, fuel and food for more than billion people, including
350 million of the world's poorest people.