Human activity has wiped out an average of 69% of the planet's wildlife in under 50 years, says a report published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Researchers have noted the decline of animal populations across all continents.
Data shows that the highest rates of decline are in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF-UK, said the worst decline is in the Latin America region where deforestation is accelerating in the Amazon. The world's largest rainforest is being stripped off of its unique ecosystem and wildlife depending on it is being lost, reported The Guardian.
Several scientists believe that the planet is undergoing the sixth mass extinction and it is the largest loss of life on Earth since the era of dinosaurs. Two years ago, the wildlife population decline stood at 68% and four years ago, the figure stood at 60%. Africa is going through the second largest decline at 66%, followed by Asia and the Pacific at 55%. North America is at 20%. Europe and Central Asia are at 18%, said the report.
Steele further said the world's leaders continue to sit back and watch the world burn despite the science, the catastrophic projections, the impassioned speeches and promises, the burning forests, submerged countries, record temperatures and displaced millions. "The climate and nature crises, their fates entwined, are not some faraway threat our grandchildren will solve with still-to-be-discovered technology," she added.