The Great Extinction – Living Planet Report
The above calculations come from a report published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). They calculate the so-called Living Planet Index (LDI). Looking at its values, it turns out that nThe average size of the populations living in the freshwater lakes and rivers of the Amazon basin is shrinking at the fastest rate. The calculations do not take into account insects and snails.
– It’s not just about wild animals. It’s about entire ecosystems that support human life, said Daudi Sumba from WWF.
Which regions are dying out the most?
According to the report the largest population loss occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%).. In the case of Africa, it is 76 percent. and Asia-Pacific 60 percent. Freshwater ecosystems suffer the most (decrease by 85% – all the above values refer to the mentioned 50-year period from 1970 to 2020).
5 critical ecosystems
WWF warns that the mass extinction of species and the associated disappearance of ecosystems are gradual processes, but there are certain critical limits beyond which it will be impossible to regain the lost natural wealth. Points to the critical condition of 5 areas/ecosystems that poses a deadly threat to humanity.
This:
- The disappearance of the Amazon rainforest;
- Coral reef dying;
- Melting of icebergs (western Antarctica and Greenland);
- Disturbances in the sea currents of the Atlantic Ocean;
- Permafrost thaws.
Flawed Living Planet Index methodology
However, according to many scientists, the methodology for calculating LDI is flawed, writes Benji Jones in an article for Vox.
It probably overestimates the number of dying animals, and what’s worse, these may be clear errors. According to some researchers, the report may even be misleading and, as a result, reduce trust in the mentioned organizations and ecology in general. Even if this is true and the numbers in the report are inflated, it is certain that the rate of destruction of the natural environment is alarmingly fast.