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Biodiversity Falling at Alarming Rate
May 21, 2008 01:10 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Conservation groups say that more than one-quarter of the world’s wildlife has been lost since 1970, a rate “unprecedented since the extinction of the dinosaurs.”
30-Second Summary
The populations of species fell by 25 percent on land, 28 percent in the oceans, and 29 percent in freshwater ecosystems, according to The Living Planet Index, a joint report by the Zoological Society of London, the WWF and the Global Footprint Network.
The report tracked population trends for about 1,500 species and placed blame for the decline on natural habitat destruction, overexploitation of species, climate change, pollution and the spread of invasive species.
Loss of biodiversity will have a direct effect on humans in the future, scientists warn. “Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease and where water is in irregular or short supply,” says James Leape, director general of the WWF UK in a BBC news report.
According to the report, the animals that have been severely affected include African antelopes, swordfish and hammerhead sharks, and the baiji dolphin may have recently become extinct.
Recent news reports have chronicled the decline of several species, including frogs, birds, and salmon. Monkeys are now under threat due to lax hunting laws, said delegates at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity that opened Monday in Bonn, Germany.
Officials at the event will review the goals of the 2002 UN Earth Summit, which included the ambitious goal of slowing the loss of biodiversity by 2010. Delegates at the conference linked the current food crisis to the drop in bee populations, which pollinate food crops.
The report tracked population trends for about 1,500 species and placed blame for the decline on natural habitat destruction, overexploitation of species, climate change, pollution and the spread of invasive species.
Loss of biodiversity will have a direct effect on humans in the future, scientists warn. “Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease and where water is in irregular or short supply,” says James Leape, director general of the WWF UK in a BBC news report.
According to the report, the animals that have been severely affected include African antelopes, swordfish and hammerhead sharks, and the baiji dolphin may have recently become extinct.
Recent news reports have chronicled the decline of several species, including frogs, birds, and salmon. Monkeys are now under threat due to lax hunting laws, said delegates at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity that opened Monday in Bonn, Germany.
Officials at the event will review the goals of the 2002 UN Earth Summit, which included the ambitious goal of slowing the loss of biodiversity by 2010. Delegates at the conference linked the current food crisis to the drop in bee populations, which pollinate food crops.
Headline Links: Wildlife populations in decline
The new findings were released in anticipation of the Convention on Biodiversity, being held this week in Bonn, Germany.
Source: The BBC
ZSL scientists say that species decline is being caused by humans: “Between 1960 and 2000, the human population of the world has doubled. Yet during the same period, animal populations have declined by 30 percent on average. It’s beyond doubt that this decline has been caused by humans,” said Dr. Ben Collen, a research scientist at ZSL.
Source: The Zoological Society of London
Background: Endangered wildlife
A nonprofit coalition of conservationists launches the "2008 Year of the Frog" campaign, trying to raise awareness of the crisis facing the world's frogs. There are theories, but scientists are still unsure why the frogs are dying.
Source: findingDulcinea
Although polar bears grab more headlines, the narwhal, an arctic mammal with a distinctive tusk, could be more severely affected by climate change.
Source: findingDulcinea
One in eight birds are in danger due to climate change, says a new report by the IUCN. Drought and extreme weather are affecting the habitats of many rare bird species, says the organization, which has now listed 1,226 birds as threatened.
Source: International Animal Rescue
Sea lions found dead in America’s Pacific Northwest May 4 drew national attention to a legal battle over a controversial federal policy to allow such killings to protect salmon. Sea lions have become more populous in the region since the Marine Mammal Protection Act went into effect in 1972, while the salmon they feed on have become endangered. Fishermen have lobbied to cut down the number of sea lions to protect the salmon.
Source: findingDulcinea
“Here in Germany, there has been a 25 percent drop in bee populations across the country; in the eastern United States, there has been a 70 percent decline in bee stocks,” said Ahmed Djoghlaf, the executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “If pollinators disappear, so too will many species of plants. If we take away one link, the chain is broken.”
Source: International Herald Tribune
Related Topics: Humans and biodiversity
Ninety-two international researchers at a UN biodiversity conference in Bonn, Germany on Tuesday told the audience that stricter hunting laws are needed. “Hunting laws are not being applied and the proclaimed conservation areas are completely inadequate. If key species, like monkeys, become extinct, entire ecosystems are under threat,” said Sandra Altherr, a spokeswoman for German conservation organization Pro Wildlife.
Source: The Earth Times (Deutsche Presse Agentur)
Climate change and human actions appear to have led to the demise of the woolly mammoth. Does a similar fate await today’s endangered species?
Source: findingDulcinea
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