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Science | Geography | Citizenship

Animal numbers on earth have halved in 40 years

From elephants to eels and dolphins to monkeys, all species are in rapid decline through the destruction of habitat fuelled by human consumption. Is population growth to blame? Humans are cutting down forests faster than they can regrow, catching fish faster than the oceans can restock, and emitting more carbon dioxide than the planet can absorb, according to a new report published this week. And this frenetic activity is having an alarming impact on the world’s wildlife. As a result of our massive demand on the Earth’s resources, animal populations have more than halved in the last 40 years, declining by an average of 52%, according to the London Zoological Society and the World Wildlife Fund. Freshwater fish species are particularly badly hit, declining by an average of 76%. New methods used to create a Living Planet Index have made the forecast more accurate than the last one two years ago, and sadly more gloomy. Populations of forest elephants in central Africa have tumbled, while the destruction of habitat has left hoolock gibbons in Bangladesh and European snakes at serious risk. In the UK, some bird species are declining, with grey partridge numbers halved since 1970. The report makes clear that the growing human population is mostly to blame. While animal numbers are in decline, the human population has doubled from 3.7 billion in 1970 to 7.2 billion now, and is on course to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. More mouths to feed mean that we depend on animals and their habitats for food production. The report ranks nations by the size of their ecological footprint, which calculates the land needed to sustain a single citizen. Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE have the worst impact. In fact, if every human on Earth was like the average Qatari, we would require 4.8 planets to sustain ourselves. The elephant in the room The conflict between human rights and ecological responsibility is highly contentious, and the problem of population growth is a sensitive issue rarely discussed. It raises uncomfortable and upsetting questions concerning women’s rights, poverty, religion and race, among others. Some experts, like Sir David Attenborough, say that any meaningful biodiversity conservation must take the booming human population into consideration, and our numbers must be brought under control. We cannot simply ignore the issue. But others argue that this is alarmist, and that it is inhumane to put the conservation of animals before human needs and rights. ‘We can at times seem like Roman emperors, treasuring our cheetahs while our slaves die,’ one columnist wrote this week. We can all make better choices about how we live and what we consume, and our efforts can make a difference — intensive conservation has already rejuvenated tiger populations in Nepal, for example. It does not have to be a simple choice between humans or animals. KeywordsDavid Attenborough - An English broadcaster and natural historian known for his wildlife documentaries.

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