10 October 2024

Press Release

For immediate release

Average wildlife population sizes decline by 73% in 50 years as WWF warns that tipping points pose grave threats to humanity

Read the full report | Images | International B-roll | UK B-roll |

Severe decline in average size of monitored wildlife populations has been driven by human activity such as habitat destruction and compounded by climate change, says WWF’s Living Planet Report
The report warns that the world is dangerously close to irreversible global tipping points such as the melting of polar ice sheets and decline of the Amazon rainforest
With time running out to meet vital 2030 goals, the report calls for urgent action on the food, finance and energy systems
‘What happens in the next five years will determine the future of life on Earth,’ warns WWF ahead of the vital COP16 and COP29 summits
Latin American and Caribbean species have faced steepest decline with average population sizes falling by 95% since 1970.

Monitored global wildlife populations have seen a catastrophic average decline in size of 73% in 50 years (1970-2020), the latest edition of the Living Planet Index – published today (10 October) as part of WWF’s biennial Living Planet Report – has found.

Subtitled ‘A System in Peril’, the landmark report warns that the world is fast approaching dangerous irreversible tipping points including the potential collapse of the Amazon rainforest and the rapid melting of polar ice, both of which help regulate the planet’s climate and sustain a wide range of life. Passing these tipping points, the report warns, would “pose grave threats to humanity and most species, and would damage Earth’s life-support systems and destabilise societies everywhere”.

The report reviews global progress towards the 2030 sustainable development goals that are vital for avoiding these tipping points and calls for urgent action to transform the way we grow our food, generate energy and run our financial system to ensure nature is protected and restored.

“It is no exaggeration to say that what happens in the next five years will determine the future of life on Earth,” the report warns, in a wake-up call to global leaders ahead of the vital COP16 and COP29 summits on biodiversity and climate in Colombia and Azerbaijan this Autumn.

The destruction of nature is plain to see from the Living Planet Index, which is compiled by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) as part of the Living Planet Report and includes almost 35,000 population trends of 5,495 species of vertebrates from 1970-2020. The report and index are published every two years, and this 15th edition is the most extensive yet.

While the overall 73% decline in average monitored wildlife populations is shocking, species in Latin America and the Caribbean have seen even more extreme average declines of 95%. The less severe declines in Europe and North America are due to countries there, including the UK, having destroyed much of their biodiversity before the 1970 benchmark.

These countries are now effectively offshoring nature loss to other parts of the world, for example by importing livestock feed grown on formerly wild areas, including biodiverse areas such as the Amazon.

Declines in wildlife populations often act as an early warning indicator of increasing extinction risk and the potential loss of healthy ecosystems. When ecosystems are damaged, they can become more vulnerable to tipping points – being pushed beyond a critical threshold resulting in substantial and potentially irreversible change.

The report warns that global tipping points such as the dieback of the Amazon rainforest, or the mass die-off of coral reefs, could create shockwaves far and wide, impacting food security and livelihoods on a global scale.

The Amazon – home to 10% of all the wildlife species on the planet – has been ravaged by extreme drought and catastrophic wildfires in recent months. Last year, extreme heat and drought resulted in the mass die-offs of rare pink river dolphins and other species and this year could be worse still.

The span and intensity of the drought has sparked fears that the world’s largest tropical rainforest is perilously close to reaching its tipping point – experts predict that if 20-25% of the Amazon is lost, it could go into irretrievable decline. Yet even before this year’s wildfires, up to 17% of the Amazon rainforest was estimated to have already been destroyed. The world’s richest and most-varied forest appears to be losing its resilience to change – the tipping point warnings are flashing red.

Reviewing global progress towards the critical 2030 nature and climate goals, the report offers clear ways forward on the major drivers of the destruction of nature and climate change – the food, finance and energy sectors. The report calls for urgent action from world leaders to transform these systems and help them become a force for good instead of fuelling the destruction of nature ahead of the vital COP16 biodiversity summit and COP29 climate summit.

The urgency of the situation demands a reimagining of these systems by:

Transforming food production: The dysfunction in our food system means production uses 40% of the Earth’s habitable land and is the leading cause of habitat loss as biodiverse forests and grasslands are converted to farmland. Coordinated action is needed to scale up nature-friendly production of enough nutritious food for everyone and reducing food loss and waste.
Transforming finance: Finance needs to be redirected away from environmentally harmful activities and toward restoration. £150 billion of finance currently flows to nature-based solutions, while around £5 trillion flows to activities damaging to nature.
Transitioning to clean energy: We must rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and keep 1.5ºC within reach.

Although countries have already agreed on ambitious global goals to halt and reverse nature loss (the Global Biodiversity Framework), cap global temperature rise to 1.5ºC (the Paris Agreement), and eradicate poverty (the UN Sustainable Development Goals), the report also warns that national commitments and action on the ground currently fall far short of what’s required to meet 2030 targets and avoid dangerous tipping points that will have devastating impacts on people and nature all around the world.

Ahead of the critical COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, and COP29 on climate in Baku, Azerbaijan, WWF-UK is urging the UK government to introduce a Living Planet Act and announce an ambitious plan to protect and restore nature in the UK and around the world.

Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF-UK, said:

“The Living Planet Report serves as a health check for the planet, with wildlife population sizes a key indicator for the state of the wider natural world. A staggering 73% decline in just 50 years is truly shocking and must be a wake-up call for our leaders ahead of the crucial COP16 and COP29 summits.

“More worrying still is the prospect of reaching global tipping points, risking not just the survival of precious animal species, but the basis for human society as well.

"We rely on nature for so much – the food we eat, the air we breathe, our mental health and well-being. If we pass these tipping points, we’ll be putting our societies, our economies, and the future of our children at risk.

“It’s not too late to change course – this could be a turning point instead of a tipping point. As a G7 nation, the UK must take bold action to transform our finance, energy and food systems to protect our world.

"We are calling for a Living Planet Act to ensure the UK government leads the way in tackling this global crisis and works tirelessly to meet the crucial 2030 global targets.”

Mauricio Voivodic, executive director at WWF-Brazil said:

"If we keep going as we are, it is a question of when we pass the Amazon tipping point, not if.

"The areas on the edges of the rainforest are already emitting more carbon than they are absorbing, and the dry conditions – that are being driven in part by deforestation – are now leading to fires breaking out in remote areas of the forest.

"The collapse of the rainforest would have huge effects on the region, and also the world as vast amounts of carbon are released and its role in regulating the world’s climate is lost.

"We must urgently stop deforestation and accelerate large-scale restoration of the Amazon and neighbouring Cerrado and Pantanal.

"Since restoration also captures carbon from the atmosphere, it both benefits biodiversity loss and helps tackle the climate crisis. If we don’t succeed, the consequences for the Amazon, and the world, could be catastrophic."

Matthew Gould, CEO of ZSL, said:

“The message from ZSL’s Living Planet Index is clear – nature is under threat, endangering the ecosystems that all life relies on. 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. The world's governments coming together at the Colombia Biodiversity COP in a few weeks can do so.”

ENDS

A full version of WWF’s embargoed Living Planet Report 2024 is available here
Images available here
International B-roll available here
UK B-roll available here

Notes to editors:

· Some of the species populations captured in the LPI include a 57% decline in the number of nesting female hawksbill turtles between 1990 and 2018 on Milman Island in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; and a 65% decline in Amazon pink river dolphins and 75% decline in the smaller tucuxi between 1994 and 2016 in the Mamirauá reserve in Amazonas, Brazil. More recently, over 330 river dolphins died in just two lakes during a period of extreme heat and drought in 2023.

· The index does reveal some 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, and the comeback of European Bison populations in central Europe. However, isolated successes are not enough amid a backdrop of the widespread destruction of habitats.

About the Living Planet Act

The Living Planet Act is a piece of Westminster legislation that would require the UK government to recognise that nature, climate and food policy are inherently interconnected and be clear about the co-benefits and possible compromises that might be involved in deciding the best use of the precious but limited land and sea it oversees.

The legislation would require future governments to produce plans that clearly demonstrate how they would manage the use of our land and sea resources collectively, in order to meet our climate, nature and nutrition security commitments. The science shows that all three are so closely linked that it makes no sense to try and separate them. To put it simply, if we look after nature, nature will look after us.

COP16 and COP29

At COP16 in Cali countries including the UK must demonstrate they are delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework. WWF is urging the UK government to submit an ambitious action plan to show real leadership on restoring nature at home and around the world.

At COP29 in Baku countries and the private sector must mobilise the finance necessary to tackle the climate crisis. The UK government must rebuild the UK’s credibility on climate by rapidly phasing out fossil fuels and supporting the countries and communities most affected by climate impacts.

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. Visit www.zsl.org for more information.