Wpg Free Press: Manitoba not immune to biodiversity decline
As the Winnipeg Free Press reports:
Shrinking numbers of moose, whip-poor-wills and bumble bees — and even the trend of deer, racoons, Canada geese and coyotes taking refuge in cities — are signs of human impact on nature, say local environmental experts.
On Monday, the United Nations released most comprehensive report yet on biodiversity and species depopulation, saying one million species are at risk of extinction due to human activity, and Manitoba is not immune.
Eric Reder, spokesman for the Wilderness Committee — Manitoba, said the UN report links “the sheer volume of animals that don’t exist anymore” with the overall health of all life on the planet…
Humans, who make up a hundredth of one per cent of the entire biomass on the planet, have reduced the biomass of plant life such as trees by half, said University of Manitoba biology Prof. Kevin Campbell.
Wildlife populations have plummeted to a biomass of 15 per cent what they once were, he said.