2010 and Beyond
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LPR_CBD_cover.qxd 8/4/08 13:34 Page FCA © 1986 Panda symbol WWF World Wide Fund For Nature 2010 AND BEYOND Rising to the biodiversity challenge LPR_CBD_cover.qxd 15/4/08 13:29 Page IFCB WWF EDITOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (also known as World Wildlife Jonathan Loh1,2 Living Planet Index Fund in the USA and Canada) is The authors are extremely grateful to the following individuals and organizations for sharing their data: Richard one of the world’s largest and AUTHORS Gregory and the European Bird Census Council for data from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring most experienced independent Living Planet Index2 scheme; the Global Population Dynamics Database from the Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College conservation organizations, with Ben Collen London; Derek Pomeroy, Betty Lutaaya and Herbert Tushabe for data from the National Biodiversity Database, almost 5 million supporters and Louise McRae Makerere University Institute of Environment and Natural Resources, Uganda; Kristin Thorsrud Teien and Jorgen a global network active in over Gayle Kothari Randers, WWF-Norway; Pere Tomas-Vives, Christian Perennou, Driss Ezzine de Blas and Patrick Grillas, Tour du 100 countries. WWF’s mission is Rachel Mellor Valat, Camargue, France; Parks Canada; David Henry, Kluane Ecological Monitoring Project; Lisa Wilkinson, to stop the degradation of the Olivia Daniel Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division. Many thanks to Chris Hails and Gordon Shepherd, WWF International, for their planet’s natural environment and Annemarie Greenwood help and support on this project. to build a future in which humans Rajan Amin live in harmony with nature. Sarah Holbrook Ecological Footprint Jonathan E.M. Baillie Much of the background research for this report would not have been possible without the generous support of The Skoll Foundation, The Roy A. Hunt Foundation, Flora Family Foundation, Mental Insight Foundation, ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY Ecological Footprint3 The Dudley Foundation, Erlenmeyer Stiftung and a dedicated community of individual donors. OF LONDON Steven Goldfinger Founded in 1826, the Zoological Justin Kitzes Society of London (ZSL) is Mathis Wackernagel an international scientific, Audrey Peller conservation and educational Robert Williams charity: its key role is the conservation of animals and their Building security for habitats. ZSL runs ZSL London the future1 Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, PHOTOS Rémy Kalter carries out scientific research Rolf Hogan Front cover (left to right): WWF-Canon/Michel Terrettaz; Benn; WWF-Canon/Roger Le Guen; WWF-Canon/Michel in the Institute of Zoology and Gordon Shepherd WWF-Canon/Homo ambiens/R. Isotti-A. Cambone; Gunther; WWF/Catherine Holloway; WWF-Canon/Homo is actively involved in field WWF-Canon/Sebastian Rich; WWF/Catherine Holloway; ambiens/R. Isotti-A. Cambone; WWF-Canon/Vladimir conservation in over 30 countries WWF-Canon/Roger Le Guen. Page 7 (left to right, top to Filonov; WWF-Canon/Michel Terrettaz; WWF/Chinese worldwide. www.zsl.org bottom): WWF-Canon/Jason Rubens; WWF-Canon/ Academy of Science; WWF-Canon/Hal Whitehead; 1. WWF International Homo ambiens/R. Isotti-A. Cambone; WWF-Canon/Jo WWF/James W. Latourette. Avenue du Mont-Blanc GLOBAL FOOTPRINT CH-1196 Gland NETWORK Switzerland promotes a sustainable economy www.panda.org by advancing the Ecological Published in April 2008 by ISBN: 978-2-88085-287-0 Footprint, a tool that makes 2. Institute of Zoology WWF–World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife The material and the geographical Printed in Switzerland by Ropress sustainability measurable. Zoological Society of London Fund), Gland, Switzerland. designations in this report do not on Aconda Verd Silk FSC, 40% Together with its partners, the Regent’s Park imply the expression of any opinion recycled fibre and 60% virgin wood network coordinates research, London NW1 4RY, UK Any reproduction in full or in whatsoever on the part of WWF fibre, at least 50% of which is certified develops methodological www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ioz part of this publication must concerning the legal status of any in accordance with the rules of FSC, standards, and provides decision mention the title and credit the country, territory, or area, or using vegetable-oil-based inks. above-mentioned publisher as concerning the delimitation of its makers with robust resource 3. Global Footprint Network the copyright owner. frontiers or boundaries. accounts to help the human 1050 Warfield Ave economy operate within the Oakland, CA 94610, USA © text and graphics: 2008 WWF A BANSON Production Earth’s ecological limits. www.footprintnetwork.org All rights reserved Cambridge, UK LPR_CBD_text.qxd 8/4/08 12:48 Page 1 INTRODUCTION t the start of the millennium the United Nations set a clear, The first of the two, the Living Planet Index (LPI), developed in (www.footprintstandards.org). They have also been working A measurable objective for biodiversity conservation. We partnership with the Zoological Society of London, uses pop- with countries to refine the data and methods used to evaluate are now only two years away from reporting on the target agreed ulation trends in species from around the world to assess the national footprints. These collaborations have improved the by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) state of global biodiversity. Over the past two years the coverage analysis presented in this report. In 2003, the most recent year in 2002: to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the cur- of the dataset has been expanded, methodological improve- for which there are data, humanity’s total footprint exceeded the rent rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and national ments made and better standards for LPI data implemented. productive capacity of the biosphere by 25 per cent, and its rate levels as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit The index tracks nearly 4,000 populations of 241 fish, 83 of growth showed no sign of diminishing. This means that the of all life on Earth. The EU countries also agreed in 2002 to a amphibian, 40 reptile, 811 bird and 302 mammal species. fundamental drivers of biodiversity loss – the appropriation of more ambitious target – to halt biodiversity loss by 2010. Indices for marine, terrestrial and freshwater species are the biosphere for the production of natural resources, and the calculated separately and then averaged to create an aggregated disposal of associated waste products – are still increasing. These targets mean that the public can hold the world’s index. Between 1970 and 2005 the LPI declined by 27 per cent governments collectively responsible for ensuring that global overall. Although the decline appears to have flattened out in the Figure 1: Global Living Planet Index. The average of three biodiversity is conserved, or at least that the rate of its loss is last few years, an analysis of switch points shows no significant indices which measure overall trends in populations of reduced. Regrettably, in 2008, it does not look as if sufficient change in the direction of the index since 1976, meaning that terrestrial, marine and freshwater vertebrate species. The index effort has been made to stem the loss of biodiversity, and it the 2010 target is very unlikely to be met. declined by 27 per cent from 1970 to 2005. appears unlikely that the global 2010 target will be achieved. WWF uses two indicators to measure trends in the state of The second is the Ecological Footprint, which measures human Figure 2: Global Ecological Footprint. A measure of the global biodiversity and the human demands on the biosphere. demands on the biosphere to produce resources and absorb productive capacity of the biosphere used to provide natural These indicators have also been adopted by the CBD, among carbon dioxide. Over the past three years, Global Footprint resources and absorb wastes. Humanity’s footprint was equi- a suite of indicators to assess progress towards the global Network and its partner organizations have developed new valent to about half of the Earth’s biologically productive 2010 target. methods and standards for calculating the Ecological Footprint capacity in 1961, but grew to a level 25 per cent above it in 2003. Fig. 1: GLOBAL LIVING PLANET INDEX, 1970–2005 Fig. 2: GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT, 1961–2003 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.8 Index (1970=1.0) 0.6 0.6 Number of planet Earths 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0 0 19601965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 19601965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 RISING TO THE BIODIVERSITY CHALLENGE 1 LPR_CBD_text.qxd 8/4/08 12:48 Page 2 BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND THE HUMAN FOOTPRINT The Living Planet Index shows that wild or plants, for food, materials or medicine, Less significant in the past, but with the BEYOND 2010 species and natural ecosystems are under over and above the reproductive capacity of potential to become the greatest threat to By opting for a target to reduce the rate pressure to a greater or lesser degree across the population to replace itself. It has been biodiversity over the course of the next of biodiversity loss, the signatory nations all biomes and regions of the world. The the dominant threat to marine biodiversity, few decades, is climate change. Already, conceded that halting the decline by 2010 direct, anthropogenic threats to biodiversity and overfishing has devastated many impacts of climate change have been is probably unachievable. With only two are often grouped under five headings: commercial fish stocks, but overexploitation measured in arctic and alpine as well as years to go, unless immediate action is ■ habitat loss, fragmentation or change, is also a serious threat to many terrestrial coastal and marine ecosystems, such as taken to reduce the growing pressures on especially due to agriculture species, particularly among tropical forest coral reefs.