World Wildlife Falls 40 Per Cent Due to Humans

THE number of wild animals across the world has plummeted by 40 per cent in the past 30 years because of changes in the way humans are living.

The Living Planet Report, compiled by the conservation organisation WWF, shows that over-consumption and exploitation of natural resources, known as the ecological footprint of a country, has had a major impact on wildlife and habitats across the globe.

More than 1,000 terrestrial, marine and freshwater species were studied to reveal an average decline of 40 per cent between 1970 and 2000. The figures make grim reading for those concerned about the environment, and some habitats have fared extremely poorly, with freshwater species declining by 50 per cent, and grassland, savannah, desert and tundra species declining by over 60 per cent.

None has avoided an overall dramatic reduction in populations, the report shows.

Species with dramatically declining numbers include many that are already threatened due to man’s negative influence, such as sea turtles, polar bears and tigers.

Accompanying the report is a league table detailing the ecological footprint of 150 nations, from the worst consumers to those that use the least resources per person.

Surprisingly, the United States has been pushed into second place, with the United Arab Emirates now taking the top spot for the most profligate nation. The rate of consumption in the UEA is such that each resident requires 9.9 global hectares (gha) for the resources that they use. In the US each person requires 9.7gha.

Scotland is 16th in the table, with each resident having an ecological footprint of 5.35gha, while the figure for the UK as a whole is 5.4gha. Afghanistan exerts the smallest footprint, at just 0.3gha per person.

Global demands on natural resources have more than doubled within 40 years, with a rise of 700 per cent in energy requirements for coal, gas and oil over the last 30 years.

Elizabeth Leighton, the senior policy officer with WWF Scotland, said: "The Living Planet Report is the FTSE index for the environment. It gives us a clear picture of the true impact that we are having on the world’s species and habitats with our inexhaustible consumption demands.

"Somebody else, somewhere else, is paying the price of our consumption rates in Scotland, whether it is the people who live in the rainforest in Brazil, the hippo in Uganda or the savannah of South America. This report proves that complacency over our consumption rates is unjustified and that we all have a vital role to play in protecting the natural resources of the planet: we are in ecological overdraft spiralling towards bankruptcy."

Shiona Baird, the Green Party’s speaker on enterprise, said: "This report shows how we are wasting valuable resources. We currently need two extra planets to sustain consumption – we must all take responsibility for changing that. This is not about making any dramatic lifestyle changes, it is about making the most of the materials and items we use every day."