Living Planet Report 2020

Living Planet Report 2020

Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Environment; Climate change

In news

• The WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 was recently released. 

Key takeaways from the Report

• There has been a reduction of 68 % in the global wildlife population between 1970 and 2016.
• 75 % of the Earth’s ice-free land surface has already been significantly altered.
• Most of the oceans are polluted.
• More than 85% of the area of wetlands has been lost during this period.
• The most important cause of biodiversity loss: Land-use change – conversion of pristine habitats into agricultural systems and oceans have been overfished.
• The highest biodiversity loss due to land use change: (1) Europe and Central Asia at 57.9 %; (2) North America at 52.5 %; (3) Latin America and Caribbean at 51.2 %; (4) Africa at 45.9 %; (5) Asia at 43 %.
• The largest wildlife population loss: Latin America at an alarming 94 %.
• One of the most threatened biodiversity: Freshwater biodiversity (declining faster than that in oceans or forests).

Do you know?

• Global mapping has recently revealed the extent to which humans have altered millions of kilometres of rivers.
• India, a “mega diverse country” with over 45,000 species of plants in only 2.4 % of the world’s land area, has already lost six plant species to extinction, according to the IUCN Red List.