Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced an alarming biodiversity crisis, with wildlife populations plummeting by 95% over the past 50 years, according to a new report by WWF.
The region, renowned for its rich biodiversity, has seen the fastest rate of wildlife decline globally, significantly outpacing the worldwide average of 73%.
The 2024 Living Planet Report, published by WWF, tracks the changes in wildlife population sizes across the world from 1970 to 2020. It monitors nearly 35,000 population trends of 5,495 species, including 3,936 populations and 1,362 species from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The report highlights that globally, the steepest declines occurred in freshwater species, with an 85% reduction, followed by terrestrial populations at 69% and marine populations at 56%. Habitat destruction, driven by the food system, is identified as the most significant threat to wildlife, alongside overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, and climate change, which is having a pronounced impact in Latin America.
Tropical deforestation remains a major concern in the region, despite a 9% decline in 2023 compared to the previous year. Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bolivia were the top three countries for primary forest loss. While Brazil saw a 36% reduction in deforestation, driven by stronger conservation policies under President Lula da Silva, it continues to face immense challenges.
Roberto Troya, WWF’s regional director for Latin America, stressed the severity of deforestation and resource exploitation, stating, "Deforestation is particularly aggressive in Latin America, often linked to the expansion of agriculture. Illegal mining is also devastating rivers and wildlife populations."
The report highlighted some alarming species declines, including a 65% reduction in Amazon pink river dolphins between 1994 and 2016, and a 75% decline in the tucuxi, another river dolphin species, in the Mamirauá reserve in Brazil. Recent droughts and low water levels have exacerbated the challenges facing these species, with over 330 river dolphins reported dead last year in two lakes.
WWF International’s director general, Kirsten Schuijt, warned that the intertwined crises of nature loss and climate change are pushing ecosystems and wildlife to the brink, with global tipping points threatening to destabilize Earth's life-support systems.
Latin America remains a biodiversity stronghold, home to three of the world’s most biodiverse countries: Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. The Amazon rainforest alone harbors around 10% of the world’s known species, playing a vital role in preserving global biodiversity. However, key species like the vaquita, the world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise, and the jaguar, the largest wild cat in the Americas, face critical threats from habitat destruction and illegal activities.
Rebecca Shaw, the lead author of the report, emphasized the ripple effects of species loss, noting how the decline of fruit-eating animals in Brazil's Atlantic Forest has impacted seed dispersal and reduced carbon storage, contributing to broader environmental degradation.
The report also underscored the urgency of addressing these declines to prevent tipping points that could result in irreversible damage to ecosystems, including the potential dieback of the Amazon rainforest. In 2023, fire outbreaks in the Brazilian Amazon reached their highest levels in 14 years, worsening the drying of the rainforest and increasing carbon emissions.
WWF’s report outlines several strategies for mitigating biodiversity loss, including expanding protected areas, optimizing sustainable agricultural practices, and ensuring that the energy transition away from fossil fuels is ecologically sound. While nearly 300,000 protected areas now cover 16% of the world’s land and 8% of its oceans, the report stresses that more work is needed to meet the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of the planet’s land, freshwater, and ocean areas by 2030.
Schuijt concluded with a call to action: “While the situation is dire, we have not yet passed the point of no return. Global agreements and solutions exist to set nature on the path to recovery by 2030, but progress has been slow. The next five years will be crucial for the future of life on Earth.” Photo by Murray Foubister, Wikimedia commons.