The Living Planet Report 2026, published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), reported a 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations between 1970 and 2022.
The report highlights the growing pressure on global biodiversity and the need to conserve ecosystems and wildlife populations.
The Living Planet Report is published biennially by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It assesses trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet.
The 2026 edition is the 16th edition of the report, according to the supplied source.
The report uses the Living Planet Index (LPI) to monitor changes in wildlife populations over time.
The LPI measures the average rate of change in population sizes across monitored vertebrate species from terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. It is an indicator of changes in wildlife populations and provides insights into the state of global biodiversity.
Important: The reported decline refers to the average size of monitored populations. It does not mean that 73% of all individual wild animals or 73% of all species have disappeared.
The average size of monitored vertebrate wildlife populations declined by 73% between 1970 and 2022, covering a period of 52 years.
The report identified substantial declines across all three major ecosystem categories.
|
Ecosystem |
Decline in average monitored population size |
|---|---|
|
Freshwater ecosystems |
85% |
|
Terrestrial ecosystems |
69% |
|
Marine ecosystems |
59% |
The steepest decline occurred in freshwater ecosystems, highlighting the vulnerability of rivers, lakes and wetlands to environmental pressures.
The report recorded significant regional differences in wildlife population trends.
|
Region |
Decline since 1970 |
|---|---|
|
Latin America and the Caribbean |
95% |
|
Africa |
80% |
|
Asia and the Pacific |
49% |
According to the supplied figures, Latin America and the Caribbean experienced the largest decline among the regions listed.
Despite the overall decline, the report highlighted recoveries in several wildlife populations, demonstrating that conservation measures can produce positive outcomes.
Examples include green turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and southern African elephants.
The report also noted an increase in the global wild tiger population from approximately 3,200 in 2010 to around 5,700 in 2025.
The report identified several major drivers of changes in wildlife populations and ecosystems.
Habitat loss and degradation result from deforestation, agricultural expansion, urbanisation and infrastructure development, reducing the availability of suitable habitats.
Overexploitation of natural resources, including hunting, poaching and unsustainable fishing, directly reduces wildlife populations.
Climate change alters habitats, increases the frequency of extreme weather events and affects the distribution and survival of species.
Other significant drivers include invasive alien species, pollution and disease, which can disrupt ecosystems and threaten native wildlife.
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