The number of wild animals living on our planet has drastically decreased over the past 40 years, according to research by scientists at the World Wildlife Foundation and the Zoological Society of London.
“Unsustainable human consumption” is to blame — killing creatures for food, whilst polluting and destroying their habitats.
The report suggests populations have halved since 1970, which is a more alarming result than in a report two years ago, notes the BBC. On average, populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by 52%.
Wild forest elephants in Africa could become extinct during our lifetime thanks to poaching and habitat loss, while the number of marine turtles has declined by 80%.
The biggest decline in animal numbers came from developing nations, though conservation efforts in richer nations have shown only small improvements.
Read more from the WWF’s 2014 Living Planet Report here.
Forest elephants — Photo: Richard Ruggiero/USFWS
