Humanity is destroying wildlife, this will lead to a decrease in larger animals, the most vulnerable. Researchers estimate that more than 1,000 larger species of mammals and birds will become extinct in the next century. Humans have killed most of the great creatures of all the inhabited continents, in addition to Africa in the last 125,000 years. Animal populations have fallen by 60% since 1970.
The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, analysed five traits of 15,500 species of mammals and birds, including body mass, breadth of habitat, diet and the length of time between generations. They combined these with data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species, which estimates the likelihood of extinction.
Research in 2018 showed that the average size of wild animals has fallen by 14% in the last 125,000 years, as behemoths including mammoths and giant sloths were exterminated by humans. The new study predicts a further shrinking of 25% in just 100 years.
According to Robert Cook, from the University of Southampton, «It is worrying that we are losing these big species when we don’t know their full role. Without them, things could begin to degrade quite quickly. Ecosystems could start to collapse and become not what we need to survive».
Chris Carbone, of the ZSL Institute of Zoology in London, said: «I wouldn’t be surprised if the situation for many larger animals is worse than the researchers suggest as their decline is exacerbated by selective poaching and the illegal wildlife trade».
Paul De Ornellas, advisier of WWF, said: «This study is another worrying warning sign of the impact we are having on nature».
The future extinctions can be avoided if radical action is taken to protect wildlife and restore habitats, and the scientists say the new work can help focus efforts on key species.
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