每日一翻：Wildlife Population Plummeted Since 1970

The river animals have it worst. Thanks to water extraction, dam building and other river-changing pursuits, more than three-quarters of river amphibians, fish and mammals have disappeared since 1970. That’s not three quarters of species, mind you, it’s three quarters of the individuals in a given population.

河里的动物到了最糟糕的时候。由于水提取、大坝和其他河道改造，自1970年到现在，河里超过四分之三的两栖动物、鱼和哺乳类动物消失。需要强调的是，这不是物种的四分之三，而是给定总数量的四分之三。

And it’s not just the rivers. Nearly 40 percent of both land and sea animals, from sardines to elephants, have disappeared over the same time span. The numbers are from a new report from the conservation group World Wildlife Fund. [Living Planet Report 2014]

并且不仅仅是河里。将近40%的陆生和海洋动物，从沙丁鱼到大象，也同时消失。这些数字来自动物保护组织——世界野生动物基金会——的最新报告。

These lost animals have been replaced by either people or our domesticated animals—chickens, cows and pigs, among others. Farms to feed people displace forests that feed wildlife. And people also eat wildlife directly, from fish to bushmeat. As a result, the survey finds fewer and fewer individuals among more than 3,000 species and 10,000 populations surveyed.

这些消失的动物被人和我们家养的动物所取代，比如鸡，奶牛和猪以及其他牲畜。给野生动物提供食物的森林被给人类提供食物的农场所取代。并且，人类也直接吃野生动物，从鱼类到森林动物，无所不及。结果，调查发现，在被调查的3000个物种和10000只动物中，动物的数量越来越少。

But there is hope. The vast majority of these beleaguered species are not extinct. And in rich regions like the U.S., Europe and Japan, wildlife numbers are actually increasing: coyote, deer, turkey and other forest animals, for example, as the forest regrows along the east coast of North America. Exporting that trend could help stave off the gathering sixth mass extinction.

但是，依然还有希望。大多数濒危物种还没有灭绝。并且在富有的地方，比如美国、欧洲和日本，野生动物数量实际上在增加，例如随着北美东海岸森林的再生，美洲丛林狼，鹿，火鸡和其他的森林动物在增加。这个趋势有助于推迟第六次大规模集体灭绝的到来。

—David Biello