Wildlife Populations Plummet, Humans to Blame: WWF Report

About 3,000 species of wildlife around the world have seen their numbers plummet far worse than previously thought, according to a World Wildlife Fun (WWF) report released Tuesday, and the environmental group blames humans for the drastic drop.

The report says the world populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles fell overall by 52 percent in 40 years, which are more alarming results than a report from two years ago. Populations of freshwater species suffered even worse, declining 76 percent between 1970 and 2010. Most of the new losses were found in tropical regions, particularly Latin America.

"This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live," Ken Norris, Director of Science at the Zoological Society of London, said in a statement.

The WWF's Living Planet Report 2014 not only tracked over 10,000 vertebrate species populations, but also measured humanity's demands on nature, which are on an upward climb. According to the data, climate change, pollution, invasive species, fishing and hunting are chief threats to wildlife populations around the world. But deforestation and habitat loss combined remain the number one dangers.

"The scale of biodiversity loss and damage to the very ecosystems that are essential to our existence is alarming," Norris added.

Humankind's demands are now 50 percent more than nature can bear, with forests being cleared, groundwater pumped and carbon dioxide emitted faster than Earth can recover. It would take 1.5 Earths to produce the resources necessary to support our current ecological footprint.

Kuwait had the biggest ecological footprint, according to the report, meaning they consume and waste more resources than any other nation, followed by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

What people may not realize is that humanity's disregard for its ecological impact is not only detrimental to wildlife across the globe, but is costly to us as well.

"We are eating into our natural capital, making it more difficult to sustain the needs of future generations," the report said.

However, "there is still hope," Norris noted. "Protecting nature needs focused conservation action, political will and support from industry."