Catastrophic 73% Decline in the Average Size of Global Wildlife Populations in Just 50 Years Reveals a ‘System in Peril’
WWF’s flagship Living Planet Report details sharp declines in monitored wildlife populations with the steepest drops recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%).
WASHINGTON, October 9, 2024 /3BL/ - There has been a catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations* in just 50 years (1970-2020), according to World Wildlife Fund‘s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2024. The report warns that parts of our planet are approaching dangerous tipping points driven by the combination of nature loss and climate change which pose grave threats to humanity.
The Living Planet Index, provided by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), tracks almost 35,000 vertebrate populations of 5,495 species from 1970-2020. The steepest decline is in freshwater populations (85%), followed by terrestrial (69%) and then marine (56%).
Habitat loss and degradation and overharvesting, driven primarily by our global food system are the dominant threats to wildlife populations around the world, followed by invasive species, disease and climate change.
Significant declines in wildlife populations negatively impact the health and resilience of our environment and push nature closer to disastrous tipping points– critical thresholds resulting in substantial and potentially irreversible change. Regional tipping points, such as the decimation of North American pine forests, the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and the mass die-off of coral reefs, have the potential to create shockwaves far beyond the immediate region, impacting food security, livelihoods, and economies.**
“Nature provides the foundation for human health, a stable climate, the world's economy, and life on earth. The Living Planet Report updates fifty-year trend lines of how much we've lost and tipping points that lie ahead," said WWF-US President and CEO Carter Roberts. “It highlights the most powerful tools to stem the loss and match the scale of this slow-motion catastrophe. A wake-up call that we need to get going, and fast.”
Some of the species populations captured in the Living Planet Index include a 57% decline in nesting female hawksbill turtles between 1990 and 2018 on Milman Island in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, a 65% decline in Amazon pink river dolphins and an 88% decline in Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River in California. More recently, over 330 Amazon river dolphins died in just two lakes during a period of extreme heat and drought in 2023.
The Living Planet Index also reveals populations that have stabilized or increased due to effective conservation efforts, such as an increase in the sub-population of mountain gorillas of around 3% per year between 2010-2016 in the Virunga mountains in East Africa, as well as an increase from 0 to 6,800 in bison populations across central Europe between 1970 and 2020.
WWF Chief Scientist Rebecca Shaw, said: “Sharp declines in wildlife populations are a clear and urgent warning. These steep drops signal that nature is unraveling and becoming less resilient. When nature is compromised, it is more vulnerable to climate change and edges closer to dangerous and irreversible regional tipping points. When this happens in too many places around the globe, it threatens the very air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.”
While global leaders have already agreed on ambitious goals to halt and reverse nature loss (the Global Biodiversity Framework), cap global temperature rise to 1.5ºC (the Paris Agreement), and increase human well-being (the UN Sustainable Development Goals), the Living Planet Report warns that national commitments and on the ground action fall far short of what’s required to achieve those goals and avoid dangerous tipping points.
The international biodiversity and climate summits taking place this year - COP16 and COP29 - provide an opportunity for global leaders to rise to the challenge. WWF is calling for countries to develop and implement ambitious national nature and climate plans to halt biodiversity loss and cut emissions by reducing global overconsumption in food and energy in an equitable manner. WWF is also urging government and private sector leaders to scale up public and private investments and better align their climate, nature and sustainable development policies. Governments and businesses should act rapidly to eliminate activities with negative impacts on biodiversity and climate, and redirect finance toward activities that will deliver on global sustainability goals.
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Notes to Editors
For media requests, please contact:
Amy Fallah | WWF-US | amy.fallah@wwfus.org| 703-473-1442
Link to full report, executive summary, and media summary
- *The Living Planet Index shows an average 73% decline in monitored vertebrate wildlife populations (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish). The percentage change in the index reflects the average proportional change in monitored animal population sizes at sites around the world, not the number of individual animals lost, nor the number of populations lost.
- **For example, losses of populations of large fruit-eating animals (tapirs, toucans, tamarins, deer), which provide an essential seed-dispersal function in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, can lead to a decline in tropical forest carbon storage. When these animals are lost through hunting and illegal trade, they can no longer disperse the seeds of larger, hardwood trees and the forest becomes dominated by smaller, softwood trees. The smaller trees store less carbon, exacerbating climate change.
- Please note that successive iterations of the LPI are not directly comparable as they contain different sets of species. It is also important to note the significance of the 1970 baseline for the various regions monitored. In both Europe and North America large scale impacts on nature were already apparent before the start of the index in 1970, explaining why there is less of a negative trend. North America registered an average decline of 39%, while Europe and Central Asia registered a decline of 35%.
- For further information on the hawksbill turtle, Amazon river dolphin, Chinook salmon, mountain gorilla and European bison local population case studies above and for other examples please see pages 32-33 of the full report.
- Energy and food systems are the main drivers of climate change and nature loss. Fossil fuels contribute approximately 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. Food production is the leading cause of habitat loss, accounts for 70% of water use, and is responsible for over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.
About WWF
WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century to help people and nature thrive. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat the climate crisis. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest conservation news by following @WWFNews on Twitter and signing up for our newsletter and news alerts here.
About ZSL
Founded in 1826, ZSL is an international conservation charity, driven by science, working to restore wildlife in the UK and around the world; by protecting critical species, restoring ecosystems, helping people and wildlife live together and inspiring support for nature. Through our leading conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade, we bring people closer to nature and use our expertise to protect wildlife today, while inspiring a lifelong love of animals in the conservationists of tomorrow.
