World's wildlife population sees 68% decline since 1970: report

Sep 10, 2020 15:55 IST

Since the 1970, freshwater species including amphibians, mammals, birds and fish, have declined by 84% across the world. According to the Living Planet Report 2020 by Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) , this could lead 1 in 3 freshwater species to the brink of extinction. Approximately 85% of the earth’s wetlands have already been lost and this puts freshwater species at a higher risk than forest or marine species. Freshwater biodiversity is the most threatened biodiversity across the globe. The report also states that there has been a 68% decline in the global wildlife population between 1970 and 2016. It attributes the loss to the land-use change in the last few decades and also mentions other factors like overfishing, pollution and climate change as reason for the sharp decline.