Ambitious targets to halt the decline in nature may already be slipping out of reach, a study suggests.

Scientists say the effects of climate change and habitat loss on animal populations have been underestimated.

They say bringing back wildlife may take longer than expected and that unless we act now global biodiversity targets will be out of reach.

In December 2022, almost 200 countries agreed to halt the decline in nature by the end of the decade.

They set ambitious goals to halt the loss of biodiversity and protect 30 percent of lands and seas by 2030.

The study, published in the Royal Society journal, analysed trends in populations of more than 600 different species of birds and mammals.

The scientists found that past modelling work had largely ignored time lags of decades before the effects of drivers such as climate change and habitat loss kick in.

This means we may be further down the line towards biodiversity loss than we thought.

On the plus side, the research suggests immediate action on such things as unsustainable hunting and over-exploitation of natural resources will have immediate and far-ranging benefits.

More plants and animals are going extinct than at any other point in human history.

In December, countries signed up to a landmark agreement setting global goals to address biodiversity loss.

A total of 188 governments committed to global targets for 2030, from reducing global food waste by half to phasing out subsidies that harm biodiversity.

Source: Oman News Agency