The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) just released its “Living Planet Report” with striking news stating that after compiling data from more than 14,000 monitored animal populations around the world, they concluded that between 1970 and 2012 the world’s animal population has decreased by 58 percent. By 2020 it will have decreased by 67 percent if immediate and intense action is not taken – that is more than 2/3 of the entire globe’s animals. Two percent of the world’s animals are lost every year, according to the report, and this number is predicted to only increase.
Causes of this decline are entirely man-made. Loss of habitat due to deforestation, unsustainable farming practices, poaching and food exploitation have had a huge impact on animal species and their ability to survive and reproduce. Rivers and lakes have taken the hardest toll with animal loss at 81 percent caused by overfishing, excessive water extraction, pollution and dams.
We have entered the epoch called Anthropocene and the sixth mass extinction (the previous five saw the extinction of 86 percent of species, 75 percent, 96 percent, 80 percent and 76 percent over the last 444 million years). The Anthropocene is a geological era characterized by human modification of the natural world and was proposed by the Geological Society of America.
The outlook is foreboding, and global action is necessary, but so is local and individual action. Even in Carlinville and Blackburn, our small actions can have a large impact. There are several ways to help. Changing your diet to reduce meat consumption can help lessen the demand for animal protein. Recycling, riding a bike and properly disposing of trash can reduce pollution. Staying informed on national and global legislation and taking a stand on those policies can influence political systems to support ecological conservation.