Context:
According to the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature’s Living Planet Report (LPR) 2024, there has been a 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations from 1970-2020.
Relevance:
GS III: Environment and Ecology
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key findings of the Report
- What is the Living Planet Index?
- About WWF
Key findings of the report:
- The Nature’s Living Planet Report (LPR) 2024 says that there is a decline in the average size of ‘monitored wildlife populations’ in just 50 years (1970-2020).
- The report also noted the decline in population of three vulture species in India between 1992 and 2002.
- It noted strongest decline in freshwater populations (85 per cent) followed by terrestrial (69 per cent) and marine populations (56 per cent) among the 34,836 monitored wildlife populations of 5,495 vertebrate species of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles.
- The report finds that habitat loss and degradation and overharvesting, driven primarily by our global food system are the dominant threats to wildlife populations around the world, followed by invasive species, disease and climate change.
- Significant declines in wildlife populations negatively impact the health and resilience of our environment and push nature closer to disastrous tipping points– critical thresholds resulting in substantial and potentially irreversible change.
What is the Living Planet Index?
- It works as an indicator of biodiversity health. It measures the state of the world’s biological diversity based on the population trends of vertebrate species.
- UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has adopted LPI as the indicator of progress towards the convention’s 2011-12 target to take actions to halt biodiversity loss.
- Institute of Zoology (ZSL) manages the Living Planet Index.
What does the Living Planet Index not monitor?
- The numbers of species lost or extinct
- Percentage of species declining
- Percentage of populations or individuals lost
About WWF:
- It is an international non-governmental organization
- It is the world’s largest conservation organization
- Founded in 1961
- Headquarter — Gland (Switzerland).
- Aim : Wilderness preservation & the reduction of human impact on the environment
Objectives:
- Conserving the world’s biological diversity
- Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable
- Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption
-Source: The Hindu, The Times of India
