Emerald glass frog, Panama. Photo by Bienvenido Velasco/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
This is not a surprise. And the problem of deforestation continues to exacerbate climate change, reaching far beyond the lives of these shrinking habitats.
Unsurprisingly, the continued encroachment of housing, but mostly agribusiness and mining, have removed small ecosystems that many already endangered species need to continue to live. Until recent elections in Brazil, the amount of deforestation robs not only the life in the Amazon, but the lungs of the planet to process CO2 emissions and return oxygen into the air. (CNN story)
According to one study, only 3% of species in a study saw an increase in population.
The WWF's Living Planet report shows Latin America has been hit the hardest with a decline of 94% in biodiversity.
Nearer to me, pink dolphins in Hong Kong have been in decline for over a decade, mostly due to construction on coastal waters. The loud noises reverberate in the water, affecting the dolphins' ability to navigate and efficiently find and catch food. Similarly, the pink dolphin population in the Amazon River have seen an average decline of 69% since 1970.
Mark Wright of WWF says the scale of decline is “devastating” and continues to worsen. “We are not seeing any really positive signs that we are beginning to bend the curve of nature,” he says.
And it's unlikely this BBC graphic from a few years ago has shown any recent recovery: