Turning the Tide: Facing the Wildlife Crisis Caused by Habitat Loss and Climate Change

The 2024 'Living Planet Report' by WWF highlights a 73% decline in monitored wildlife populations over 50 years due to habitat loss, climate change, and pollution. It stresses urgent collective efforts to address these issues, notably the decline in vultures in India and broader global ecosystem threats.

A staggering decline in global wildlife populations, with figures dropping by 73% in half a century, has been revealed in the 'Living Planet Report' 2024 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Habitat loss, climate change, and pollution are identified as the primary culprits behind this crisis.

The report also unveils dramatic declines in India's vulture populations between 1992 and 2022, with species such as the white-rumped, Indian, and slender-billed vultures diminshing drastically. Freshwater ecosystems globally face the steepest declines, followed by terrestrial and marine environments, due to threats like habitat degradation driven mainly by food systems.

India shows signs of wildlife recovery thanks to government and community initiatives, recording a rise in tiger numbers and estimating 718 snow leopards. However, the report warns of potential ecosystem tipping points, exacerbated by projects like Chennai's urban expansion, underscoring the urgent need for transformative actions in energy, food, and finance systems to meet 2030 biodiversity and climate goals.

(With inputs from agencies.)