There is hope.
Those are the words of the WWF after a summer of scorching temperatures, raging wildfires and deadly droughts.
Climate change and the destruction of the natural environment is playing havoc with our planet – but the charity’s message is that there is still time to act.
‘Together we can stop the destruction of nature, secure a safer climate, and bring our world back to life,’ it says.
However, there is no time to lose.
Global wildlife population sizes have declined by 69% on average since 1970, with a quarter of UK mammals now at risk of extinction. In the plant world, 40% of species are at risk of disappearing, while the destruction of essential tropical rainforests continues apace.
Many believe the sixth mass extinction event is underway.
And yet.
Across the world humanity is pulling together to show that the end of this chapter is not written, that those species at risk can flourish once again.
From soaring tiger populations and the return of beavers in London, to advances in tracing elusive species and restored coral reefs, nature is rebuilding. Not everywhere, but enough to keep the hope.
And with that in mind, the WWF has highlighted 11 more species that need our help to overcome the threat to their survival.
Rising temperatures, prolonged periods of drought and erratic rainfall cause a reduction in water levels and quality, and high temperatures also pose a threat to hippos. As large, primarily aquatic animals, they are not well adapted to high temperatures out of water, making them particularly vulnerable to drought conditions (Picture: naturepl.com/Anup Shah/WWF)
A member of the lily family, the bluebell overwinters as a bulb and emerges in the spring to flower between the middle of April and late May. Temperature controls the plant’s development and flowering. In the spring and early summer, drought can reduce their growth, and warmer temperatures can impede germination and can shift the timing of flowering. Plants have optimum time and conditions for developing leaves and flowers which give them the best chance to grow and reproduce. As temperatures rapidly change, bluebells are one of a handful of plants that are unlikely to be able to adapt quickly enough to this new normal (Picture: Global Warming Images/WWF)
For more information, see WWF’s 2021 report Feeling the Heat: The fate of nature beyond 1.5°C of global warming
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