Earth's wildlife populations have declined a staggering 73% in 50 years: report

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FILE - Dead fish lie in the mud near Bakersfield, California. A new report says global wildlife populations have declined 73% in 50 years. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

The world’s wildlife populations have declined a staggering 73% over the past 50 years, a disconcerting sign that could have "devastating" consequences without immediate action, a new report found. 

The World Wildlife Fund’s latest Living Planet Index measured the average change in population sizes of more than 5,000 vertebrate species worldwide from 1970 – 2020. Freshwater populations have suffered the heaviest declines, at 85%, followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine populations (56%), according to the report. 

Euan Ritchie, a professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, likened it to an "art lover’s reaction if three-quarters of the contents of the Louvre had disappeared," The Washington Post reports. 

"Nature provides the foundation for human health, a stable climate, the world's economy, and life on earth," Carter Roberts, president & CEO of World Wildlife Fund, said in the report. 

Roberts called the loss of wildlife a "slow-motion catastrophe" and said the latest report is a "wake-up call that we need to get going, and fast."

Where did wildlife populations decline the most?

The steepest population losses were seen in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%), as well as freshwater ecosystems (85%). 

Although declines have been less notable in Europe, Central Asia and North America, the report notes that nature had already been heavily damaged in those regions before 1970. 

"Declines in wildlife populations can act as an early warning indicator of increasing extinction risk and loss of healthy ecosystems," the report states. "When ecosystems are damaged they can become more vulnerable to tipping points—pushed beyond a critical threshold toward potentially irreversible change."

What’s causing declines in wildlife populations?

Habitat loss and damage, mainly caused by human food production, is the primary threat to global wildlife populations, the Living Planet Index found, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease.

‘Tipping points’ of global concern

The report outlined five areas of the world where ecosystem and wildlife loss are at risk of triggering much larger changes, changes that can be sudden, often irreversible, and potentially catastrophic for people and nature.

"When nature’s systems pass a tipping point, the consequences can be devastating," the report states. "Sometimes this happens at a local level – like the collapse of fish populations leading to job losses and reduced incomes in coastal communities. But we also risk crossing global tipping points that could threaten all our food supplies, trigger widespread disasters like fires and flooding, and destabilize economies and societies everywhere."

From the report: 

Drying of Amazon rainforest: Deforestation and climate change are causing reduced rainfall in the Amazon, which could lead to the region becoming unsuitable for tropical rainforest. This would have devastating consequences for people, biodiversity and the global climate. A tipping point could be on the horizon if just 20–25% of the Amazon rainforest is destroyed – and as much as 17% has been deforested already.

Coral reef die-off: In the Great Barrier Reef, rising sea temperatures coupled with ecosystem degradation have led to mass coral bleaching events in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022 and 2024. As these events become more frequent, the Great Barrier Reef – along with a projected 70–90% of coral reefs globally – may no longer be able to function as an ecosystem. Over 1 billion people rely on these reefs for food, livelihoods and protection from storms.

Melting ice sheets: Two massive ice sheets – in Greenland and the West Antarctic – are at risk of passing a tipping point where melting becomes irreversible. This would disrupt ocean circulation and cause sea levels to rise several metres, threatening more than 1 in 8 people globally who live in coastal areas less than 10m above sea level.

Atlantic Ocean circulation: The collapse of the subpolar gyre, a circular current south of Greenland, would devastate marine ecosystems, disrupt other ocean currents and dramatically change global weather patterns – especially in Europe and North America, where summer heatwaves would increase and winters become more severe.

Permafrost thaw: Vast amounts of carbon and methane are locked up in the frozen soils of the Arctic. As more of these areas of permafrost thaw as a result of global warming, more greenhouse gases will be released into the atmosphere, further exacerbating the impacts of the climate crisis.

What’s the solution? 

The latest Living Planet Index isn’t all bad news: researchers found that the populations of many species have stabilized or increased as a result of conservation efforts. 

"But isolated successes and merely slowing nature loss aren’t enough – and conservation efforts that don’t take account of the needs of people won’t succeed in the long run," the report states. 

"We need action that meets the scale of the challenge. That will require nothing less than a transformation of our food, energy and finance systems."

The report shared three ways to help protect our wildlife populations. From the report: 

More protection: Protected areas currently cover 16% of the planet’s lands and 8% of its oceans – but many of these areas aren’t effectively managed. We must protect 30% of our planet’s lands and waters and restore 30% of degraded areas by 2030. This is an unmissable opportunity to scale up effective conservation to unprecedented levels.

Indigenous lands: Supporting and recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities may be one of the most effective ways to conserve biodiversity at scale. Indigenous territories cover a quarter of the global land area, including a large proportion of the places that are most important for biodiversity conservation. In many cases, the species and ecosystems in these territories have been sustainably managed for centuries.

Nature-based solutions: Working with rather than against nature can be a way to address other important issues for society. For example, restoring forests, wetlands and coastal habitats can absorb carbon emissions and help communities adapt to climate change impacts. Nature-based solutions for climate mitigation have the potential to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 10–19%, while also benefiting ecosystems and improving livelihoods.

Read the full report here.