Page 51 - WEF Reoprt 2020

The axolotl, arguably one of the world’s most recognizable salamanders, has a unique ability to regenerate severed REUTERS/DAVID LOH
limbs, which unlocks medicinal and scientific opportunities for everything from tissue repair to development and
cancer. After centuries of inbreeding, captive populations are at risk and scientists could lose the opportunity to
learn vital information about the animal’s biology that could have significant benefits for human health. 1

On the loss of species food, produce energy, dispose of waste and
consume resources is destroying nature’s
All species, including humans, depend for delicate balance of clean air, water and life
their survival on the delicate balance of life that all species—including humans—depend
in nature. Yet biodiversity—the diversity on for survival. 7
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within species, between species, and within
ecosystems—is declining faster than it has Human activity endangers biodiversity in at
at any other time in human history. The least five main ways. First, agricultural and
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current rate of extinction is tens to hundreds industrial expansion has led to the loss of
of times higher than the average over the over 85% of wetlands, altered 75% of land
past 10 million years—and it is accelerating. surface, and impacted 66% of ocean area.
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Although the world’s 7.6 billion people A second powerful threat is in the
represent just 0.01% of all living creatures, exploitation of plants and animals through
humanity has already caused the loss of harvesting, logging, hunting and fishing.
83% of all wild mammals and half of plants. Third, pollution: habitats are being destroyed
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If low estimates of the number of species by untreated waste; by pollutants from
are accurate—around 2 million—between industrial, mining and agricultural activities;
200 and 2,000 extinctions are occurring and by oil spills and toxic dumping. Marine
every year. At the upper end of the estimate, plastic pollution alone has increased
between 10,000 and 100,000 species are tenfold since 1980. A fourth critical driver
going extinct each year. How we grow of biodiversity loss is the introduction of
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46 Save the Axolotl