By WWF South Africa
We must ‘think, act, collaborate and marshal resources at exponentially different scales’ if we are to reverse this trend.
The latest Living Planet Index, released internationally today, shows a 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in 50 years (1970-2020).
The 15th edition of WWF’s biennial flagship publication, the Living Planet Report, shows that we are approaching dangerous, irreversible planetary tipping points driven by the twin threats of nature loss and climate change.
The latest Living Planet Index (LPI) shows that:
- The strongest decline has been in freshwater ecosystems (85%), followed by terrestrial (69%) and then marine (56%).
- In Africa, the average decline in monitored wildlife populations stands at 76%
- Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by our food system, is the most reported threat to wildlife populations around the world, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease.
- Climate change is a particular additional threat for wildlife populations in parts of the world.
The report states that reversing current trends will require radically scaling up effective and inclusive conservation action on the ground, as well as addressing the drivers of climate change and nature loss, such as transforming our energy, food and finance systems.
In 2022, South Africa alongside 195 countries committed to a global plan to reverse the loss of nature by 2030 as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework. To achieve the highly ambitious goals of the GBF will require countries to act on a scale hitherto unseen and in new ways.
Fortunately, there are inspiring examples of institutions and initiatives that are relevant for South Africa.
A pertinent example of the level of ambition that is required is SANParks Vision 2040 which reimagines the future of conservation on a much greater scale and in a more inclusive manner through the concept of Mega Living Landscapes. These are large, interconnected areas of land that encompass protected areas, private and communal land and a variety of compatible land uses.
We need more momentum and more of this approach if we are to succeed in halting further biodiversity loss. Such approaches are not only more inclusive of society, but are also much more cost-effective to manage, enabling conservation efforts to be scaled to new levels.
Nevertheless, South Africa still has a significant finance shortfall for our conservation efforts. Consequently, we also need to develop ambitious finance mechanisms.
Examples include large-scale durable finance, as championed by the Enduring Earth Partnership, as well as attracting private sector finance through blended finance mechanisms such as the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development.
Reversing the perilous global loss of biodiversity will require a whole of society approach. WWF urges government, business and civil society get behind these new, ambitious approaches to conservation.
The international biodiversity and climate summits taking place later this year – COP16 and COP29 – are an opportunity for South Africa to demonstrate its commitment and global leadership in conservation and reversing the loss of biodiversity.
Dr Deon Nel, Head of Environmental Programme at WWF South Africa, commented: “What happens over the next five years will be crucial for the future of life on Earth. We have the power – and opportunity – to change this trajectory. In December 2022, South Africa, along with 195 other countries, signed a global plan to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity and set nature on a path to recovery by 2030. This requires us to think, act, collaborate and marshal resources at exponentially different scales. Incremental gains will not be enough. Institutions will need to reinvent themselves to rise to this challenge.”
Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International, said: “Nature is issuing a distress call. The linked crises of nature loss and climate change are pushing wildlife and ecosystems beyond their limits, with dangerous global tipping points threatening to damage Earth’s life-support systems and destabilize societies. The catastrophic consequences of losing some of our most precious ecosystems, like the Amazon rainforest and coral reefs, would be felt by people and nature around the world.”
