New report: A staggering 73% drop in wildlife populations

It’s time to either get depressed or double down on our work to save species and their habitats. In a new report, the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London released the latest findings on vertebrate wildlife populations. Looking at 5,495 mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian species, the report found a 73% drop in animal populations between 1970 and 2020. 

Those numbers are staggering, and awful. It’s more evidence that our natural world is struggling. 

The math: If within your neck of the woods there lived 10,000 lizards in 1970, today a mere 2,700 scurry about. If 30,000 birds filled your local skies back then, only 8,100 of our feathered friends remain. 

Latin America and the Caribbean were hit the hardest. And across the globe, freshwater species saw larger declines than saltwater and terrestrial critters. 

But there’s a spot of partially “good” news. Like the rest of the globe, North America saw a decrease in biodiversity (a 39% drop), but the losses on our continent were less severe. Two theories were presented in the report: one, the negative “large-scale impacts on nature were already apparent” long before 1970 in North America, and two, conservation measures here have helped stabilize wildlife numbers, at least relative to elsewhere. 

It’s this bit about “conservation measures have helped” that needs to guide us going forward.

From where we sit, and looking specifically at the U.S., here are 5 steps steps we should take now to protect life on this planet: 

1. Give animals room to roam. The big reason for the decline in animal populations is the loss and destruction of habitat, including the carving up of habitat with roads, cities, farms, strip malls and more. The bipartisan Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act in congress seeks to protect, enhance and restore habitat along animal migration routes. 
2. More biologist boots on the ground. All 50 states have studied species and adopted wildlife action plans, but states lack the cash to do the work. The bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act in congress is simple in design. It would send more than $1 billion annually to the states so that state wildlife officials can do the work to save species. 
3. Save fish by removing dams. The most damning data in the report pertained to freshwater species. Dams are a big reason for this. The largest dam removal project in U.S. history was recently completed along the Klamath River in Oregon and California. To recover fish populations (and make our fishermen and women happy), we need more of this, including dams on the Snake River to save salmon.
4. Protect old growth forests. Once considered dead areas within forests, it’s now understood that old growth trees are teeming with life. Protecting these areas means protecting wildlife. 
5. Save the Endangered Species Act. Nothing in life seems certain except death, taxes and congressional attacks on the Endangered Species Act. Congress needs to listen to its better angels and protect the law that protects species. 

In the song Better Days, Bruce Springsteen sings “this fool’s halfway to heaven and just a mile out of hell.” 

It’s not a bad metaphor for the state of wildlife on the planet. On one hand, the situation is dire, and life is disappearing at a rapid clip. On the other, there are policies in place and others at our fingertips that, if passed, can help turn things around. 

Let’s not be fools. As depressing as this report is, let’s get to work.