A new report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London says the world’s wildlife population has declined by at least 52 percent in the last 40 years.
From The Telegraph:
Almost the entire decline is down to human activity, through habitat loss, deforestation, climate change, over-fishing and hunting. [...]
“It’s certainly very concerning,” said Mike Barrett, Director of Science and Policy at the WWF, “And if it carries on at the present rate we will continue to lose even more animals.
Freshwater species have reportedly been hit the hardest with their populations declining by as much as 76 percent.
As for why the new numbers are so much worse than numbers reported by the same group in 2012, the Associated Press reports that the group credits better (more accurate) methods for measuring populations.
It’s enough to make you wonder if there will come a time when the only significant populations of animals that remain will be those that are factory farmed.