Wildlife populations have plummeted by 73% in half a century

Global wildlife populations are continuing to experience catastrophic declines.

The latest figures from the WWF’s Living Planet Report show that nature is being lost at an unprecedented rate, with the average size of monitored wildlife populations dropping by 73% in just half a century.

All major regions across the world are experiencing declines in wildlife populations, with habitat degradation and loss being the most reported threat to vertebrates, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease.

The report warns that we are pushing the world towards irreversible tipping points that will negatively impact the health and resilience of our environment. It also points to the lack of progress and urgency that has resulted in nations falling short of global agreements to halt and reverse the effects of climate change and the decline in nature. 

The report took data from the Living Planet Index (LPI), which is a database managed by WWF and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The index is one of the world’s leading indicators of the global state of wildlife populations. It has been monitoring population trends of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles since 1970 with results published every two years. The latest index covers data up to 2020 and is based on almost 35,000 population trends from 5,495 species.  

Large datasets like this are important because declines in wildlife populations are often an early warning indicator for extinction risk and can also help to assess the overall health of ecosystems. When populations become dangerously low, the resilience and functioning of an ecosystem are heavily impacted. This can make them more vulnerable to tipping points where they reach a critical threshold towards irreversible changes.

As we rely on healthy ecosystems for clean water, food and carbon storage, these declines can significantly damage the benefits these environments provide for local communities.

Matthew Gould, ZSL’s chief executive, says, “We are dangerously close to tipping points for nature loss and climate change. But we know nature can recover, given the opportunity, and that we still have the chance to act.”

Where is the most wildlife currently being lost?

Between 1970 and 2020, the steepest declines in biodiversity were seen in Latin America and the Caribbean. The main driver of these decreases was the rapid conversion of the natural landscape followed by the overexploitation of species.  

In this region, climate change is also more frequently implicated as being a threat. For example, the deadly amphibian fungus is having a greater impact on amphibians in South America as a result of the warming climate.

The second region to experience the highest rate of decline is Africa, which has reported a higher rate of overexploitation than other regions. Following this is Asia and the Pacific, with 60% declines, partly driven by the introduction of invasive species that threaten animals and plants unique to the many islands within this region.

Declines have been less extreme in North America at 39% and Europe and Central Asia at 53%. But this is mainly because large-scale impacts on nature were already apparent in these regions before 1970. Some populations have also stabilised or increased due to conservation efforts, such as the large-scale reintroductions of European Bison, which has made a comeback across many regions in Europe.

The report also compares population declines across marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. Out of the three, freshwater populations have suffered the worst with an 85% decline, as freshwater fish are often at risk from alterations to their habitat through, for example, the blocking of migration routes. 

Can this decline be reversed?

It goes without saying that to reverse this alarming decline, we need actions that meet the scale of these challenges. The report says this will mean more effective conservation efforts and the transformation of our food, energy and finance systems.

Despite our food systems reportedly being the number one driver of environmental degradation, nearly a third of the world’s population doesn’t regularly get enough nutritious food, while obesity rates are also rising. The report calls for food production that provides enough for everyone but is also friendly to nature by sustainably optimising crop yields, livestock productivity and wild fisheries. It also highlights our need to reduce waste and shift our food choices to eating more plant-based products.

The report also stresses the need to transform the way we produce and use energy by moving away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy to half greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and keep the planet below 1.5°C of warming. 

They also suggest redirecting finance away from harmful activities and towards business models that contribute to global goals on nature, climate and sustainable development.

Despite the overall decline in wildlife populations, there has been evidence that some species populations have stabilised or increased as a result of conservation efforts. But the report says these isolated successes alone are not enough and calls for the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework to protect and restore 30% of lands, waters and seas by 2030 an “unmissable opportunity” to scale up effective conservation.

In the UK, WWF is also calling for the introduction of the Living Planet Act, which would require the government to take collective action to stop the climate crisis, protect nature and ensure everyone has access to healthy, affordable food. 

Tanya Steele, WWF UK’s Chief Executive, has warned that British consumers are “inadvertently driving deforestation and nature loss through what we eat and through what we buy”. 

“So beyond the butterflies and the wasps here at home, what’s happening in the Amazon, what is happening all around the world, we have to acknowledge that it may feel far away, but actually that nature loss is being driven by us and by other developed countries and it is on us to stop and look to protect and restore nature.”