The World Wildlife Fund has recently taken part in a study that announced that the world has lost 52% of our planet’s wildlife population since 1970.

This organization came to this conclusion after meticulously studying the patterns of each species’ growth rates. After traveling around the world, these scientists studied the patterns of 10,000 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. From there they calculated the “Living Planet Index,” which measures the health and estimated percent of decline of species in various environments.

The reason for the split in our wildlife’s population is due to an accumulation of many factors. The lack of resources of our earth is a major factor. Humans are constantly consuming more and more resources as we advance into a more developed world.

Additionally, a major cause is the amount of waste and trash that is destroying the animals’ environment. Each year, thousands of seabirds, turtles, seals, and other marine mammals are killed by ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Billions of pounds of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans, damaging the wildlife animals’ ecosystems. This is a huge problem on our earth that can be fixed with the actions of human beings.

Mustangs are taking action to help in the movement to keep our planet clean and safe for wildlife animals. Recycle 4 Cause is a club on campus that focused on recycling materials and raising awareness for environmental concerns on our earth. Adam Carrillo (10), the treasurer of Recycle 4 Cause commented, “Recycled materials will be used to make new things, but if you throw them away, it will only create waste in our environment and have no future use.” By recycling plastic, clothes, toys, and other reusable items, Mustangs are promoting a clean and safe earth for our wildlife animals.

As the population of wild animals and humans increases, the amount of resources are becoming more limited each day. Society must learn how to efficiently balance the available resources in order to survive in this competitive world. This way, humans can prevent the decline of any more wildlife species.