Singapore: Nearly 6,000 monitored vertebrate species across more than 35,000 populations declined by an average of 73% from 1970 to 2022, the World Wide Fund for Nature said in its latest Living Planet Report published on Thursday.
* The Living Planet Index, managed by the Zoological Society of London and WWF, monitored a total of 35,803 populations covering 5,790 different species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish over the 52-year period.
* The 2026 Living Planet Report estimates that overall populations fell by an average of around 2.5% per year over the period.
• “Monitored global populations continue to decline on average with no evidence yet of that global recovery,” said Andrew Terry, chief conservation officer at ZSL.
* The average rate of decline across the monitored populations does not represent a headcount of the total number of animals lost from 1970 to 2022, and the number is especially sensitive to changes in already small populations.
* Monitored freshwater species saw an average decline of 85%, while terrestrial species fell 69% and marine species 59%, the index showed.
* The steepest average population declines were in South America, at 95%, with Africa also experiencing losses of 80% from 1970 to 2022.
• The 2026 Living Planet report incorporated an additional 295 species and 967 populations across a longer time series compared to the last report in 2024.
* The additional data “reinforces our confidence in the continued decline in biodiversity,” Terry told a briefing.
* Habitat loss and degradation were the most frequently reported threat, but wildlife populations are also at risk from overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species and disease, the report said.
* “Amid these steep declines, there are grounds for hope, rooted in evidence. Wildlife populations are under pressure but recovery is in reach,” said Kirsten Schuijt, WWF’s director general.
* Targeted conservation efforts have enabled populations of some species to recover, including tigers, Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna, southern African elephants and green sea turtles.
* Alongside conservation efforts, changes in the energy, food and finance systems are required to halt nature loss, Schuijt said.
(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
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