The Latest 'Mass Extinction' of Earth's Wildlife Has Already Begun: World Has Lost More Than Half Its Wildlife In 40 Years

Photo by Nagesh Jayaraman.

By Ivana Kottasova
The world's animal population has halved in 40 years as humans put unsustainable demands on Earth, a new report warns.

The World Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Index, released Tuesday, revealed the dramatic decline in animal species, and said the trend could cost the world billions in economic losses.

Humans need one and a half Earths to sustain their current demands, it said.

The index, which draws on research around WWF's database of 3,000 animal species, is released every two years. This year's has the starkest warning yet of the risks associated with the decline of wildlife.

The fund notes that it's relying on a never-before-used methodology in this year's report, "which aims to be more representative of global biodiversity."

The index showed shows a 52% decline in wildlife between 1970 and 2010, far more than earlier estimates of 30%. It is due to people killing too many animals for food and destroying their habitats.

"We are eating into our natural capital, making it more difficult to sustain the needs of future generations," the report said.

Researchers from the Zoological Society of London looked at changes in populations of more than 3,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, tracking over 10,000 different populations.

The decline in animals living in rivers, lakes and wetlands is the worst -- 76% of freshwater wildlife disappeared in just 40 years. Marine species and animals living on land suffered 39% decline in their populations.

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