05/10/2026
Earth’s wildlife is sending a warning we cannot afford to ignore.
According to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024, the average size of monitored wildlife populations around the world declined by a staggering 73% between 1970 and 2020.
The Living Planet Index examined 34,836 monitored populations representing 5,495 species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
The decline was especially severe in freshwater ecosystems, where monitored populations fell by an average of 85%. Terrestrial populations declined by 69%, while marine populations fell by 56%.
Importantly, this does NOT mean that 73% of all animals or species on Earth have vanished. The figure represents the average change in the size of the wildlife populations included in the Living Planet Index.
Habitat destruction and degradation, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, invasive species, unsustainable food production and climate change are placing increasing pressure on ecosystems around the world.
And the consequences extend far beyond wildlife.
Healthy ecosystems help provide clean water, fertile soils, food, carbon storage and climate regulation. As biodiversity declines, ecosystems can become less resilient and more vulnerable to reaching dangerous tipping points.
WWF warns that major ecosystems—including the Amazon rainforest and coral reefs—could undergo large-scale and potentially irreversible changes if environmental pressures continue.
But the situation is not hopeless. Conservation successes around the world demonstrate that wildlife populations can recover when habitats are protected, ecosystems are restored and human pressures are reduced.
The question is whether action will happen fast enough.
Source: WWF, Living Planet Report 2024 — “A System in Peril.”
