The number of wild animals living on Earth is set to fall by two-thirds by 2020, according to a new report, part of a mass extinction that is destroying the natural world upon which humanity depends. The analysis, the most comprehensive to date, indicates that animal populations plummeted by 58% between 1970 and 2012, with losses on track to reach 67% by 2020. Life supports life itself and we are part of the same equation. The report analysed the changing abundance of more than 14,000 monitored populations of the 3,700 vertebrate species for which good data is available. But stemming the overall losses of animals and habitats requires systemic change in how society consumes resources, said Barrett.

Source: The Guardian October 26, 2016 23:48 UTC