Study: The loss of wild animals is significantly greater than previously thought
Photo: Gerald Herbert / AP / NTB
Nearly half of the world’s animal species are in rapid decline, according to a study published in the scientific journal Biological Reviews.
In the study, which is discussed among others by CNNmore than 70,000 different animal species from around the world have been analyzed, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects.
The researchers attempted to map the development of populations over time and found that 48% of species experienced a decline.
Less than 3% will be more, he says. Co-author Daniel Pincheira-Donoso from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast calls the study’s findings “drastically alarming”.
– Other studies, based on a significantly lower number of species, have shown that the ongoing “extinction crisis” is more serious than common perception. Our study is a dramatic confirmation of that, on a global scale, he told CNN.
The main factors of extinction are the destruction of nature to build farms, villages, towns and roads. But climate change is also contributing to development, which is set to become more dramatic as temperatures across the globe rise further.
(© NTB)
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