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Half The World's Wildlife Has Vanished Since 1970 [Infographic]

This article is more than 9 years old.

Over the past 40 years, human activity has exacted a devastating toll on the planet's wildlife population. According to a shocking new report from the World Wildlife Fund , 52 percent of the world's mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have vanished between 1970 and 2010.

Exploitation and habitat degradation/loss are the primary culprits, accounting for 82 percent of the primary threats to wildlife populations across the globe. Human activity including damming, shipping and pollution has proven particulary disastrous for the planet's waterways with freshwater species plunging 76 percent.

The biggest wildlife declines have been recorded in low-income and developing nations with various conservation efforts making small gains here and there. Still, the sheer scale of this report makes for very grim reading indeed - humans are cutting down trees faster than they can regrow while fish are being caught before the ocean can restock. It's time for a wake up call.

*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)