Continued habitat destruction and climate change impacts are contributing heavily to the “catastrophic” average decline in global wildlife populations which, according to the latest edition of the Living Planet Index, have shrunk by 73% in 50 years.

Published today (10 October) as part of WWF’s biennial Living Planet Report, this landmark research provides a stark warning “that the world is fast approaching dangerous tipping points”, including the potential collapse of the Amazon rainforest and the rapid melting of polar ice.

Passing these tipping points, the report warns, could “pose grave threats to humanity and most species” as well as “damage Earth’s life-support systems and destabilise societies everywhere.”

Monitoring almost 35,000 population trends of 5,495 species of vertebrates from 1970 to 2020, the Living Planet Index – compiled by Zoological Society London and now in its 15th edition – provides the most extensive collection of data yet. It has been issued as a global progress update towards the global 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as well as an urgent call to action to transform the way we grow our food, generate energy, and run our financial system to ensure nature is protected and restored.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that what happens in the next five years will determine the future of life on Earth,” warns the report in a stark wake-up call to global leaders ahead of 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,” said Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF-UK. “A staggering 73% decline in just 50 years is truly shocking.”

While that 73% overall decline in average monitored wildlife populations is shocking, species in Latin America and the Caribbean have seen even more extreme average declines of 95%. Meanwhile, the less severe declines in Europe, the UK, and in North America are due only to countries there having already destroyed much of their biodiversity before the 1970 benchmark.

The report positions that 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 – a region now teetering on the edge of an “irreversible tipping point” that will send shockwaves across the globe as it impacts both food security and livelihoods at scale.

Home to 10% of all the wildlife species on the planet, the Amazon has been ravaged by extreme drought and wildfires in recent months. Experts predict that if 20 to 25 of the Amazon is lost, it could go into irretrievable decline.  

“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,” said Steele.

While the picture looks bleak, the report also offers clear steps to overhaul some of the systems most damaging to nature, including food, finance, and the energy sector. Urging global leaders to scale up their efforts in halting and reversing nature loss, capping global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees celsius, and eradicating poverty, WWF-UK is calling on the UK government to introduce a Living Planet Act and announce an ambition plan to protect and restore nature in the UK and around the world.

“It’s not too late to change course – this could be the turning point instead of a tipping point,” said Steele. “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 work tirelessly to meet the crucial 2030 global targets.” 

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