Study of more than 600 animal and plant species finds genetic diversity has declined globally

Arctic fox populations declined in Scandinavia, but supplementary feeding and removal of red foxes has led to increases in genetic diversity. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Genetic diversity in animals and plants has declined globally over the past three decades, an analysis of more than 600 species has found.

The research, published in the journal Nature, found declines in two-thirds of the populations studied, but noted that urgent conservation efforts could halt or even reverse genetic diversity losses.