Scientists and environmental lobbyists alike are calling on world leaders to treat the annihilation of wildlife and plants as a global emergency as UN experts sound the alarm in a landmark new report.

The document, published on Monday, paints a devastating picture of biodiversity loss, with up to a million species facing extinction in the world’s sixth mass die-off.

Planned as a wake-up call for policymakers, the UN’s global assessment on the state of nature will warn that without urgent action, future generations of people are at risk from the collapse of life-support systems providing food, pollination and clean water.

The experts will lay the groundwork for a rescue plan over the coming 30 years to begin to reverse some of the damage to animals, oceans and flora and fauna caused by human interference.

Unai Pascual, professor of sustainability science and ecological economics at the Basque Centre for Climate Change said: “We have a social-ecological emergency. I hope that policymakers around the world endorse this view based on robust science.”

Endangered and threatened species of Britain Show all 10 1 /10 Endangered and threatened species of Britain Endangered and threatened species of Britain Hedgehog In 1950 there were an estimated 36 million hedgehogs in the UK, there are now only one million Getty/iStock Endangered and threatened species of Britain Hazel dormouse The population of the hazel dormouse is thought to have declined by over one third since 2000. It is threatened by loss of habitat Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Red squirrel Famously ravaged by the North American grey squirrel, the red squirrel is nowadays very rare with a population of around 140,000 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Mountain hare The population in Scotland stands at 1% of its 1950 level and only one colony remains in England in the Peak District Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Natterjack toad Threatened by the disappearance of their coastal habitats, the natterjack toad is now only found at a handful of site across the UK Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Water vole Once found across Britain, the water vole is no longer anywhere to be seen in 90% of waterways Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Turtle dove On the Red List of conservation concern, the turtle dove population has declined by 97% since 1970 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Small tortoiseshell butterfly Amid a general decline in butterfly population since records began in the 1970s, the small tortoiseshell saw a 38% drop in population in 2018 Getty Endangered and threatened species of Britain Noble chafer beetle Classed as vulnerable, the noble chafer beetle became increasingly rare throughout the 20th century due to habitat loss. Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings to the People's Trust for Endangered Species gbhone Endangered and threatened species of Britain Stag beetle Their population is not known but due to habitat loss and other threats they are a protected species. Members of the public are encouraged to report any sightings to the People's Trust for Endangered Species Getty

It comes less than a week after the government’s climate experts called in a major report for radical changes to people’s lifestyles to limit the damage from the climate breakdown.

Extinction Rebellion said the document should prove that government inaction is “ecocidal” and should be another wake-up call for politicians worldwide who are failing to act on the sixth mass extinction.

Dara McAnulty, a 15-year-old high-profile activist, said: “We need to declare an ecological emergency, not just a climate emergency.”

Friends of the Earth said the report would not make for comfortable reading. “When we damage biodiversity we damage ourselves,” the group said.

The assessment highlights how nature is “at death’s door” on a planet ravaged by rampant overconsumption and drowning in pollution, where up to a million species are at risk of being wiped out.

Up to half of all medicines come from plants and animals, and the world’s oceans and forests absorb more than half of greenhouse gas emissions.

Leaks of the wording suggest the report sets out how most fish stocks are overfished or fished to their limits; pesticide use has doubled in just 13 years and 400 million tonnes of toxic waste are dumped into freshwater each year.

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A third of the world’s land surface and three-quarters of fresh water goes to agriculture, while a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food production, most of which is from meat.

The scientists will say the future of humanity is under threat from the widespread destruction of the Earth’s plants and animals by people, just as much as climate change.