New York, October 11 (RHC)-- A new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature reveals wildlife populations have declined by over 70% on average over the past half-century.  The Living Planet Report warns key habitats like the Amazon are reaching “tipping points,” with “catastrophic consequences” for many species. 

Dr. Robin Freeman from the Zoological Society of London, which produces the Living Planet Index, stated: “This year’s Living Planet Report is the most comprehensive dataset we’ve collected to date.  We’ve got almost 35,000 populations of 5,400 species. And using that dataset, we’ve estimated that populations have declined by an average of 73% since 1970. … The combination of climate change, habitat loss and biodiversity loss are things that we need to get on top of, because they’re mixed-up problems that need to be dealt with together.”

The report comes just 10 days before the next major United Nations Biodiversity Conference, dubbed COP16, is set to begin in Cali, Colombia.

[ SOURCE: DEMOCRACY NOW ]