--- title: Report: Human Activity Is Decimating Wildlife Populations description: A new WWF report says human activity has led to the decline of global wildlife populations by an average of 60% over the last four decades canonical: https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/ author: Casey Quackenbush article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-30T05:52:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:06.825Z article:section: Science og:title: WWF Finds Human Activity Is Decimating Wildlife Populations og:description: "Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate seen only during mass extinctions." og:url: https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56a4211b3b8ac48e/69893dc5bc6cfc58b93e74cd/gettyimages-883229058.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5616 og:image:height: 3159 og:image:alt: Lost Fishing Net covers Coral Reef, Indo Pacific, Indonesia og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: WWF Finds Human Activity Is Decimating Wildlife Populations twitter:description: "Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate seen only during mass extinctions." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56a4211b3b8ac48e/69893dc5bc6cfc58b93e74cd/gettyimages-883229058.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Human Activity Is Decimating Global Wildlife Populations, Says New WWF Report > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Extreme Heatwaves Killed Half of the Great Barrier Reef's Coral in 2 Years, Study Says [Watch (HLS stream): Extreme Heatwaves Killed Half of the Great Barrier Reef's Coral in 2 Years, Study Says](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PNed7vek.m3u8) (1:14)  _Published 2018-04-19. In the world’s largest coral system off the Australian coast, the scientists found that a marine heat wave in 2016 prompted catastrophic levels of bleaching and, when the reefs didn’t recover, die-offs_ by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Oct 30, 2018 5:52 AM UTC  A fishing net covers coral reefs in Indonesia. A fishing net covers coral reefs in Indonesia. Reinhard Dirscherlullstein bild—Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Oct 30, 2018 5:52 AM UTC Human activity has [decimated global wildlife](https://c402277.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/publications/1187/files/original/LPR2018%5FFull%5FReport%5FSpreads.pdf?1540487589), reducing species counts by an average of 60% over the last four decades, according to an alarming new World Wildlife Fund report. Species are disappearing due to habitat loss and degradation, as well as overexploitation of wildlife, pollution and climate change, the Living Planet Report 2018 says. Tracking populations of more than 4,000 mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian species, the WWF researchers found staggering declines between 1970 and 2014\. These reductions are thought to be directly linked to human activity since current rates of species extinction are now 100 to 1,000 times higher than before human pressures became a factor. “This report sounds a warning shot across our bow. Natural systems essential to our survival – forests, oceans, and rivers – remain in decline. Wildlife around the world continue to dwindle,” Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF-US, said in a [statement](https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/wwf-report-reveals-staggering-extent-of-human-impact-on-planet). Prior to the explosive population boom of the 20th century, humanity’s consumption was smaller than the Earth’s rate of renewal. But the report notes that ecosystems are now quickly being depleted, with forests, coral reefs, wetlands and mangroves all shrinking. In the last 30 years, the Earth is estimated to have lost about half of its shallow water corals, while in the past 50 years, 20% of the Amazon—the lungs of the planet—has disappeared. These human-driven changes are so severe that scientists believe we may be inducing a mass extinction event. “Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate seen only during mass extinctions,” the report says. Further, drastic shifts are expected as “people are responsible for releasing 100 billion tonnes of carbon into the Earth system every 10 years,” it adds. Echoing a landmark U.N. report issued earlier this month, WWF called for urgent action. The U.N. [warned](http://time.com/5418577/what-humanity-do-limit-climate-change/) climate change poses “an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet” that will “require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.” The WWF likewise noted that “all hope is not lost.” WWF emphasized the need for a “global deal for nature” akin to the Paris Climate Agreement, which can set ambitious targets and pull species back from the brink of extinction. “We are the first generation that has a clear picture of the value of nature and the grave situation we are facing,” the report says. “We may also be the last generation that can do something about it.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/"},"headline":"Human Activity Is Decimating Global Wildlife Populations, Says New WWF Report","datePublished":"2018-10-30T05:52:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:06.825Z","description":"Wildlife populations declined by an average of 60% over the last four decades","url":"https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/","keywords":["Environment","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56a4211b3b8ac48e/69893dc5bc6cfc58b93e74cd/gettyimages-883229058.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56a4211b3b8ac48e/69893dc5bc6cfc58b93e74cd/gettyimages-883229058.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Lost Fishing Net covers Coral Reef, Indo Pacific, Indonesia","caption":"Lost Fishing Net covers Coral Reef, Indo Pacific, Indonesia","creditText":"Reinhard Dirscherlullstein bild—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/","name":"Human Activity Is Decimating Global Wildlife Populations, Says New WWF Report"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Extreme Heatwaves Killed Half of the Great Barrier Reef's Coral in 2 Years, Study Says","description":"In the world’s largest coral system off the Australian coast, the scientists found that a marine heat wave in 2016 prompted catastrophic levels of bleaching and, when the reefs didn’t recover, die-offs","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PNed7vek/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-04-19T14:21:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PNed7vek.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/","duration":"PT1M14S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5438605/human-activity-wildlife-populations-wwf-report/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```