STORY: Africa's wildlife population has declined by 76 pct: WWF
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 11, 2024
DATELINE: Oct. 12, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:10
LOCATION: Nairobi
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a tree-planting event in Kenya
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JACKSON KIPLAGAT, Head of conservation programs at WWF-Kenya 
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CLEMENT NGORIARENG, Deputy conservator of forests, Kenya Forest Service

STORYLINE:

The population of Africa's iconic wildlife species, including mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, and birds, had declined 76 percent in the past 50 years, a wildlife conservation group said in a report released Friday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
   
The World Wide Fund for Nature Kenya (WWF-Kenya), in its 2024 Living Planet Report, cited habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species, and diseases as leading causes of wildlife population decline on the continent between 1970 and 2020.
   
"This alarming trend highlights the urgent need for transformative action to safeguard Africa's natural ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them," says the 15th edition of the report.
   
A comprehensive science-based overview of trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet is contained in the report, which also tracks how species populations are faring globally.
  
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JACKSON KIPLAGAT, Head of conservation programs at the WWF-Kenya
"If we do not take action now, we actually are going to get into a situation where some of these populations cannot be reversed. In Kenya, (in) the last 50 years, I've seen a decline in the number of wildlife populations in the country. However, we have also noted a stabilizing population, especially for rhinos and elephants, due to efforts by the government and many stakeholders. We need each one of us, we need all stakeholders, to be able to ensure that we bend the curve towards ensuring that these populations continue to increase."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): CLEMENT NGORIARENG, Deputy conservator of forests, Kenya Forest Service
"Taking care of the environment is very important. And we made sure that he has a very elaborate program of planting trees so that we can take it back."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi.
(XHTV)