Climate Change, Global Health Pandemics, Will Put Economies On Their Knees, Warns WWF

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Zambia has called on world leaders to halt the rapid decline of nature to save millions of people and economies from multiple crises.

WWF was deeply concerned at the continued rapid decline in nature globally, with potential to push into complete extinction over a million plant and animal species.

According to a statement issued following the launch of this year’s Living Planet Report (LPR), WWF Country Director Nachilala Nkombo said the continued rapid decline in nature was becoming a big threat to societal and environmental stability of the planet.

Ms Nkombo said that the impact of climate crisis, nature loss and global health pandemics could lead many vulnerable communities and national economies to their knees.

She said LPR indicated that the environmental destruction through increasing and rapid deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and illegal wildlife trade are key drivers of the continued decline to nature being practiced in various communities and nations

“World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Zambia is pleased to join the global WWF network in launching the 2020 Living Planet Report (LPR). The LPR is a comprehensive WWF flagship study of the ‘state of the planet’s global biodiversity and health produced by 134 authors from 25 countries around the world every 2 years. In LPR 2020, WWF remains deeply concerned at the continued rapid decline in nature globally, with potential to push into complete extinction over a million plant and animal species. This situation is becoming a big threat to societal and environmental stability of our planet. Our launch of the Living Planet Report today places environmental destruction at the center of the world’s most challenging crises – the climate crisis, nature loss and global health pandemics,” Ms Nkombo said. “The combined impacts of these crises could lead many vulnerable communities and national economies to their knees. WWF believes that the rapid decline of nature can be halted by ending the destruction of natural habitats and reforming our food systems. The LPR has indicated that the environmental destruction through increasing and rapid deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and illegal wildlife trade are key drivers of the continued decline to nature being practiced in various communities and nations,” she said.


Nkombo disclosed that according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020, there was two thirds decline of the global wildlife population on average since 1970, less than half a century due in large part to the habitat destruction.”