According to the most recent data, wildlife populations plummeted by an average of 69% between 1970 and 2018. The abundance of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles is declining rapidly, with populations collapsing very rapidly of sea lions, sharks, frogs and salmon.
The declines have been particularly dire in Latin America and the Caribbean, which have seen a 94% drop in average wildlife population size. Africa saw the second largest decline at 66%, followed by Asia and the Pacific at 55% and North America at 20%. Europe and Central Asia recorded an 18% decline.
Hope to agreement
For better or for worse, Homo sapiens has the ability to realize what is happening and the ability to seek a remedy. The next important attempt will be undertaken precisely in the Cop15, from 7 to 19 December. The hope is that, at the end of the summit, a historic agreement will be signed to halt biodiversity decline by 2030 and restore it by 2050.
The organization of COP15 was very troubled. Originally scheduled for October 2020 in Kunming, China, it was postponed several times and then moved to Canada. China has maintained its presidency, but does not seem to attach much weight to the summit, so much so that it has not invited any head of state (only ministers and NGOs) and leader Xi Jinping himself will not participate, just as he did not participate in the Sharm el Cop27 -Sheikh.
All of this even before going into the merits of the matter, i.e. the points in the draft of the agreement for which it is likely that resistance will emerge from the States.