Threat of ‘mass extinction’ for the African elephant, giant pandas and killer whales as wildlife populations fall by two-thirds
Expert assessment of populations of 3,706 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles revealed a 58 per cent fall between 1970 and 2012
WILDLIFE faces “global mass extinction” after a huge decline in populations, experts warn.
They say that by the end of the decade animal numbers could be down more than two-thirds on 1970s levels.
Assessment of 14,152 populations of 3,706 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles revealed a 58 per cent fall between 1970 and 2012.
By 2020, populations of vertebrate species may have dived 67 per cent over a 50-year period unless action is taken to reverse the damaging impacts of human activity, claims a new report by WWF and the Zoological Society of London.
The report said that African elephants in Tanzania and maned wolves in Brazil are among the species most at risk, due to poaching and the expansion of farmland.
Wildlife is being increasingly affected by unsustainable agriculture and fishing, as well as mining and other human activities that cause habitats to be lost or polluted, the report warned.
The report claims that it is not just wildlife that is being affected, with humans also the "victims" of the deteriorating state of nature, as they depend on breathable air, clean water and nutritious food.
While wildlife continues to decline on average, conservation efforts for some mammals in Africa has increased populations of grassland species, the report revealed.
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Mike Barrett, director of science and policy at WWF-UK, said: “For the first time since the demise of dinosaurs 65 million years ago we face a global mass extinction of wildlife.
"Humanity's misuse of natural resources is threatening habitats, pushing irreplaceable species to the brink and threatening the stability of our climate.”
But he added: "We know how to stop this. It requires governments, businesses and citizens to rethink how we produce, consume, measure success and value the natural environment."