Wildlife Populations Decline by 69% Over Half a Century... Swift Decline Also Seen in Korea

World Wildlife Fund Releases 'Living Planet Report 2022'
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Swallows that nested in the rain shelter facility at Sokcho Jungang Market in Gangwon have been diligently feeding their chicks on July 26. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The population size of wild animals living worldwide has decreased by 69% over the past 50 years.

On the 13th, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) published the "Living Planet Report 2022" and announced the "Global Living Planet Index" (LPI), which measures the abundance of global species populations.

According to the report, based on observations of 5,230 species and 31,821 populations from 1970 to 2018, the relative abundance of wild animal populations decreased by an average of 69% over approximately 50 years. In particular, wild animal populations in South America’s Amazon River basin and the Caribbean coast plummeted by 94%, experiencing the greatest threat to biodiversity.

By species, freshwater species populations (representing 1,398 species including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish, totaling 6,617 populations) showed the most severe decline, decreasing by an average of 83%. WWF explained, "Only 37% of rivers longer than 1,000 km flow freely without artificial barriers," adding, "Some fish species face survival threats as they are blocked by dams or reservoirs while migrating long distances along 'highway'-like routes."

The report identified the main causes of the global decline in wild animal populations as habitat degradation and loss, overexploitation of resources, invasive species, environmental pollution, climate change, and diseases.

Damage to ecosystem diversity is also a problem faced domestically. At a press conference held in Seoul the day before the Living Planet Report announcement, Professor Choi Chang-yong of Seoul National University’s Department of Forest Sciences revealed that the number of swallows found per 10 hectares decreased from 2,289 in 1987 to 22 in 2005.

Professor Choi stated, "The decline in swallows indicates a corresponding decrease in insects, which are their main food source and form the basis of the ecosystem," adding, "By observing changes in commonly seen species around us, we can understand changes in the overall ecosystem diversity."

In a paper published in May 2020 in the international journal PLOS ONE by Professor Choi and his research team, a sharp decline in the population of some bird species living in Korea was also confirmed.

According to the paper, the number of Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Padda oryzivora), which were captured for research purposes at 46,826 individuals in the 1970s, dropped to only 2,422 around 2010, a 94.8% decrease. Similarly, the number of Rustic Buntings (Emberiza rustica), another passerine bird species, decreased from 60,155 to 2,572, a 95.8% decline during the same period. Common resident birds such as the Yellow-throated Bunting and the Meadow Bunting also decreased annually by 1.82% and 2.99%, respectively.

The research team also reported in a paper published in March last year in the international journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution that among the 52 most common breeding bird species in Korea over the past 20 years, 20 species showed population declines.

The Blue-and-white Flycatcher, observed at 70 to 80 locations in 1997, was seen at only 7 locations in 2017, a 95% decrease. Other species that declined include the Brown-eared Bulbul (73%), the White-browed Tit-warbler (66%), the Yellow-bellied Tit (59%), the Oriental Cuckoo (56%), the Brown Shrike (52%), and the Black-backed Wagtail (46%).

Professor Choi pointed out, "Until now, organisms have been trying to adapt to climate change, but it is becoming clear that these efforts may fail," adding, "If only some species that can endure the changed environment thrive, the benefits provided by biodiversity will disappear."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.