Wildlife is down by one-third, says WWF

Wildlife is disappearing from the planet at a catastrophic rate, a new survey has revealed.Numbers of birds, animals, marine and freshwater creatures have dropped by almost one-third, according to WWF. And most of the blame for the decline lies with man through habitat destruction, exploitation and pollution.The conservation charity's Living Planet Index says an undertaking by EU countries in 2002 to halt biodiversity loss by 2010 will not now be met. And the situation is likely to get worse as climate change becomes an increasingly important factor affecting species.The Index tracks almost 1500 different species of fish, amphibian, reptiles, bird and mammal to obtain a global snapshot of nature's health.

It found that between 1970-2005 land based species fell by 25 per cent, marine species by 28 per cent and freshwater species by 29 per cent.

Nature's decline continues as an exploding human population consumes 25 per cent more natural resources than the planet can replace every year, according to WWF.The results of the study were issued to coincide with the start of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn - a UN forum bringing governments around the world together to try to halt biodiversity loss.It says much of the loss can be put down to five factors: habitat loss, exploitation, pollution, the spread of invasive species and climate change.

All of these were in turn attributable to the unsustainable demands mankind was putting on the planet in the production and consumption of natural resources for food and drink, energy and materials. And the massive flows of goods and people around the world had provided a conduit for the spread of alien species and diseases.

The index of land animals had shown a big fall - as high as 46 per cent - among some tropical species while temperate species had apparently fared much better. But big declines in population among temperate species had occurred prior to 1970 while the sharp fall among tropical species reflected more recent habitat losses among the world's rainforests.The marine fish index had remained fairly level until about 1990 but subsequently dropped producing an overall fall in abundance of 21 per cent during the 35- year period.The index for marine birds showed a positive trend from 1970 to the mid-1990s, but a rapid decline of about 30 per cent since the mid-1990s.Insufficient data had meant that the freshwater index could only be calculated to 2003 for temperate regions and to 2000 for tropical regions. In temperate regions the decline had been 26 per cent between 1970 and 2003, while the index for tropical regions fell by 35 per cent between 1970 and 2000.The report said food, clean water, medicines and protection from natural hazards were important in maintaining security and quality of life for people and if they were to be maintained then the species, natural habitats and ecosystems that support them needed to be protected.The report called on governments attending the Bonn conference to fulfil their pledge to reduce biodiversity loss, halt deforestation and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

May 16, 2008, www.telegraph.co.uk/