Monitored global wildlife populations have seen a catastrophic average decline in size of 73% in 50 years (1970-2020), according to the latest edition of the Living Planet Index, published today (10 October) as part of WWF’s biennial Living Planet Report.
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 (SDGs), which are vital for avoiding these tipping points. It 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 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.’
TANYA STEELE
Chief executive at WWF-UK
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.
The index 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 because countries in these regions, including the UK, 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 results 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.
‘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.’
MAURICIO VOIVODIC
Executive director at WWF-Brazil
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 and finance and transitioning to clean energy.
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 to reduce food loss and waste.
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 that are damaging to nature.
We must rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and keep 1.5ºC within reach.
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).
Yet 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 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.
‘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.’
MATTHEW GOULD
CEO of ZSL
Landmark UN report reveals the world’s migratory species of animals are in decline, and the global extinction risk is increasing.
New research explores critical transitions in the Amazon forest system.
Pinning points – the underwater barriers preventing Antarctic ice melt – are disappearing.
350.org launches report on global renewable energy target.
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