The World Wild Life Fund has reported a drastic decline in vertebrate populations as they struggle to survive against humans. From 1972 to 2012 there has been a 58 percent overall decline of animal populations.

The 2016 WWF’s Living Planet Report published on Thursday warned that if current trends continue, the world could lose more than two-thirds of wildlife by 2020.

“As humanity continues to demand more and more of the earth and puts pressures on our natural capital, what we’re seeing is the fraying of wildlife,” said Colby Loucks, senior director for the WWF’s Wildlife Conservation Program.

Humans have been affecting all of earths systems, from climate all the way down to the populations of fish, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The document specifies a warning of disappearing wildlife. It is mainly referring to total population size reductions, and not the number of species that will go extinct. Loucks linked wildlife losses to his environmental apocalypse terminology the “five horseman”: habitat loss, over exploitation, pollution, invasive species and climate change. Those factors have undercut the 3,706 species documented by the WWF on land and in ocean and freshwater habitats.

Species in freshwater have been damaged the greatest, populations have been recorded as declining to about 81%. The freshwater biome covers less than a 0.01 percent of the planet’s surface, but holds about 1 in 10 of all known species. “There’s less of the cuddly panda phenomenon going on there, because humans need water to survive, to grow crops,” Loucks said, noting that “oftentimes we see freshwater for human use,” and not for conservation. Humanity has been expanding at a rapid rate. ― cutting down rain forests, hunting game, and over fishing the seas ― It now requires the equivalent of “1.6 earths to provide the goods and services we use each year,” the report says. This is a very alarming statistic, showing clearly that we are not currently on a sustainable path, if we continue the earth will be desecrated within this decade. WWF ranks the “ecological footprint” of this consumption ― the amount of resources a human lifestyle requires in a defined region. Rich nations, including the United States, Canada and Australia, have some of the biggest footprints in the world. “I don’t think people really know the extent of these declines,” Loucks said. “Ultimately, we’re going to need collective action to try and maintain both humans and what we need, as well as the natural world.” With out the natural world, this world will become very dull and quickly.







Other major events that this years documenting of animal populations has revealed is the shocking declines of other systems. The full census of African elephants found a 30 percent drop across the continent in just seven years. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has become a graveyard. The WWF report says there’s still time to stop mass extinction. Major worldwide initiatives to halt climate change and recent shifts toward renewable energy ensure we are not “starting from scratch,” the report says. But we need to take action now, before its too late. “We see too many of those movies in hollywood these days; where people are aware of the issues, yet sit and do nothing until its too late”. Hopefully we can prevent these things from becoming reality. “The facts and figures in this report tend to paint a challenging picture, yet there is still considerable room for optimism,” the report reads. “If we manage to carry out critically needed transitions, the rewards will be immense.”

Changes should include a revamped food system that balances human need with planetary capacity. “Sustainability and resilience will be achieved much faster if the majority of the Earth’s population understand the value and needs of our increasingly fragile Earth,” the report says. “A shared understanding of the link between humanity and nature could induce a profound change that will allow all life to thrive.” Loucks noted that such changes are “really, really hard” and mandate long-term thinking. “When we’re going to start seeing impacts more locally, your favorite lake dries up or your favorite species is no longer there, maybe at that point you start thinking longer term,” he said. “Each individual is going to have their threshold when they’re going to start saying, ‘Wow, I care.’ “But at some point the earth is going to say ‘enough.’ And that’s going to be catastrophic.” Please do your part to keep this world clean, consider donating to help us fight climate change, and restore our earth to its former glory.

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