Death on Earth: how the world’s wildlife vanished.

Tuesday 15th May 2012.  by Michael McCarthy    Find Full Article Photo Gallery & Graphics Here:-

The world’s wildlife has declined by nearly a third over the past 40 years, a new estimate of the health of the planet suggests.

In some parts the figure is much higher – in the tropics, losses are estimated at more than 50 per cent, while in tropical freshwater ecosystems specifically, average losses may be as high as 70 per cent, according to the 2012 edition of the Living Planet Report, produced by the WWF.

Typical high declines include the wild tiger, which has suffered a 70 per cent decline in the size of populations, and run right up to the extreme case of the baiji, the freshwater dolphin from China’s Yangtze river, which appears to have become extinct in recent years.

However, in northern areas such as Europe and North America, wildlife populations are doing much better, reflecting the amount of conservation that wealthy societies are able to afford.