Photo by Zdeněk Macháček on Unsplash
The global wildlife crisis has reached alarming proportions, with monitored wildlife populations plummeting worldwide over the past half-century. While the situation is dire across all continents, Latin America and the Caribbean stand out as the most severely affected region, experiencing a devastating 95% drop in wildlife populations since 1970. This staggering decline represents not just a local ecological catastrophe but a global biodiversity emergency with far-reaching implications for ecosystem stability, human livelihoods, and planetary health. The Scale of the Decline
The headline statistic is stark: monitored wildlife populations in Latin America and the Caribbean have declined by an average of 95% between 1970 and 2020. To put this in context, this means that for every 20 animals that existed in the region in 1970, only one remains today. This unprecedented collapse far exceeds the already concerning wildlife population declines in other regions: Africa has lost 76% of its wildlife populations, Asia-Pacific 60%, and the global average stands at 73%.
According to the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024, these findings emerge from monitoring 5,495 animal species and 35,969 populations globally. The consistent downward trajectory across regions underscores the systemic nature of this crisis, but the exceptional severity in Latin America and the Caribbean highlights the particularly intense pressures facing this biodiversity-rich part of the world. Causes of Wildlife Decline Habitat Loss and Degradation
The primary driver of wildlife population collapse in Latin America and the Caribbean is habitat loss and degradation, particularly from agricultural expansion and rampant deforestation. The Amazon rainforest, which houses approximately 10% of the planet’s known biodiversity, has been especially hard hit, with vast areas converted to farmland and cattle ranching operations. Between 2000 and 2018, the Amazon lost approximately 513,016 square kilometers of forest — an area roughly the size of Spain. Overexploitation
Unsustainable hunting, fishing, and illegal wildlife trade constitute the second major threat to biodiversity in the region. Commercial fishing has depleted marine wildlife populations, while hunting — both for subsistence and commercial purposes — has decimated many terrestrial species. The illegal wildlife trade, estimated to be worth up to $23 billion annually worldwide, continues to target the region’s unique and valuable species. Climate Change
Climate change acts as a multiplier of existing threats and is noted as a particularly acute pressure in Latin America and the Caribbean. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and increasing frequency of extreme weather events disrupt habitats, alter species ranges, and stress already vulnerable populations. The region’s rich but fragile ecosystems — from tropical forests to coral reefs — are especially susceptible to climate-induced changes.