WWF: Wildlife populations have fallen by nearly 70 percent since 1970.

Observed populations of wild species - mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish - have decreased by almost 70 percent on average since 1970, according to a report published today by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which points to an increasingly pronounced connection between the loss of biodiversity and climate change. warming up.

Between 1970 and 2018, an average of 69 percent of the population of those wild species - fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles - disappeared according to the Living Planet indicator, a reference measurement published by WWF every two years.

Destruction of natural habitats, especially for agricultural development, remains the main cause, followed by overexploitation and poaching.

Climate change is the third factor, but its role is increasing very quickly, warned Markoi Lambertini, Director General of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The causes of the disappearance of wild species are air, water and soil pollution, as well as the spread of invasive species by humans.

This report is "a red alert for the planet and therefore for humanity at a time when we are really beginning to understand that sustainable ecosystems, rich biodiversity and a stable climate are needed to guarantee a prosperous and safer future for all of us, and especially for our children their children", Lambertini said at an online press conference.

Ahead of the COP15 international biodiversity summit in December in Montreal, WWF is calling on governments to take a "last chance" to adopt an ambitious global agreement to save wildlife, like the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

The report calls for "intensification of conservation and restoration efforts", more sustainable food production and consumption, and rapid phase-out of fossil fuel use in all economic sectors to "reverse the trend of biodiversity loss".

The data is "truly frightening" for Latin America, said Mark Wright, scientific director of WWF, stating that the area, known for its biological diversity, has seen a 94 percent loss of species.

In Europe, wildlife populations fell by an average of 18 percent, but that figure masks extreme historical biodiversity losses before the observed period, said Andrew Terry, director of conservation at the Zoological Society of London, a partner with the World Wide Fund for Nature in establishing this indicator.

In Africa, the average loss of wild species is estimated at 66 percent. A particularly noticeable example of this is Kazuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the number of gorillas on the eastern plains has dropped by 80 percent, primarily due to hunting, scientists said.

Giant leatherback turtles, lynxes, sea lions, corals are some of the most endangered species.