Scientists warn humanity faces a sixth mass extinction and call for urgent action

The latest WWF Living Planet report shows that over the past five decades monitored vertebrate populations have fallen by an average of 73%, while freshwater ecosystems have suffered an 85% decline, signaling a sixth mass extinction driven by intensive agriculture, fossil-fuel use and pollution. These losses erode ecosystem services that regulate climate, clean water, pollinate crops and provide raw materials for medicines, putting global food supplies and public health at risk.

At COP17 in Yerevan, representatives from governments, industry and civil society are negotiating stronger biodiversity targets for 2030, but financing and on-the-ground execution remain major hurdles. Case studies highlight the stakes: disappearing wetlands raise water-treatment costs, declining pollinators threaten over 75% of crops, and the collapse of keystone species like oysters undermines coastal protection. Nonetheless, conservation successes such as the rebound of green sea turtles and sea otters demonstrate that coordinated action can restore ecosystems. Scientists stress that scaling up these efforts is essential to halt the unraveling of nature’s life-supporting functions.