• Through the Living Planet Report, WWF monitors the average size of the global populations of 5,495 species of wild vertebrates.
• In fifty years, from 1970 to 2020, the decline has been 73 per cent. The ecosystems under the greatest strain are freshwater ones.
• The data arrive just a few weeks before two key events: Cop16 on biodiversity and Cop29 on climate.

Catastrophic. That is the adjective chosen by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to describe the decline in the average size of the global populations of 5,495 species of wild vertebrates under monitoring. According to the 2024 edition of the biennial Living Planet report, the collapse has amounted to 73 per cent over fifty years, from 1970 to 2020. Data that bring us dangerously close to the point of no return.

The data from WWF's Living Planet Report

WWF's Living Planet Report processes data collected from monitoring sites on nearly 35,000 populations of 5,495 species of wild vertebrates. Not all of them are in decline: some are stable, others are even increasing, depending on the type of species and the region of the world in which they live. The report tracks their relative abundance — that is, their changes over time: there may be populations that are numerically very small but remain stable for years, or, conversely, very abundant populations that experience a sharp collapse.

Looking at the global average, it emerges that, over fifty years, the size of the monitored animal populations has shrunk by nearly three quarters. The range runs from minus 67 to minus 78 per cent: the average is therefore 73 per cent and corresponds to a decline of 2.6 per cent every year. This is concerning, because populations that are stable over the long term make ecosystems more resilient, even in the face of the climate crisis.

WWF ✓ @WWF

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🚨 #BREAKING! Code red for nature: Species population numbers have plunged by 73% on average since 1970.

Ecosystems are near collapse & we're close to tipping points leading to irreversible impacts. URGENT action is needed.

🗣RT to call on leaders to #ActForOurPlanet. #LPR2024

♥ 500💬 29 9 ott 2024 · Apri su X →

Freshwater ecosystems are suffering the most

In fact, the Living Planet Report indices are three, relating respectively to terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. All are in decline, but at different rates. For the oceans, the decline is 56 per cent over fifty years, corresponding to minus 1.6 per cent per year: this is because some fish stocks have shown signs of recovery and others have remained stable, also thanks to measures to limit the pressure exerted by fishing. The decline of certain species nevertheless remains worrying, among them sharks and rays. For some of these, not even living in a marine reserve is a guarantee: such is the case of the hawksbill turtle in the Great Barrier Reef, whose nesting population has suffered a decline of 57 per cent.

Terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, deserts and grasslands, show a trend similar to the global one (minus 60 per cent). For some large and iconic animals, the most serious threat is poaching: this is the case of African forest elephants, which are today critically endangered, especially in Minkébé National Park in Gabon. But conservation interventions, when they are bold and widely supported, do work: this is demonstrated by the mountain gorillas of the Virunga massif, whose average increase was 3 per cent per year between 2010 and 2016.

The most alarming figure concerns freshwater ecosystems, which show a decline of 85 per cent: that is a drop of 3.8 per cent every year. A large share of the responsibility lies with habitat alterations that block fish migration routes, causing the relative abundance of their populations to collapse by 81 per cent. Such is the case of Chinook salmon, which every winter swim upstream along the Sacramento River — or rather, used to, since dams prevent them from reaching the stretch of river where the water is cold enough for them to spawn. Their numbers have collapsed by 88 per cent from 1970 to 2022, fluctuating from year to year.

Towards Cop16 on biodiversity and Cop29 on climate

Data that cannot leave us indifferent, all the more so as two key appointments draw near: Cop16 on biodiversity, to be held in Cali, Colombia (21 October–1 November), and Cop29 on climate in Baku, Azerbaijan (11–22 November). The two crises — biodiversity and climate — are intertwined and interdependent. On the one hand, rising temperatures and extreme weather events force animals to migrate or change their habits, alter the environmental cues that regulate, for example, their migration and reproduction, and create ideal conditions for invasive alien species. On the other, ecosystems "emptied" of their wildlife are weaker in the face of external shocks.

"The Earth system is in danger, and so are we," thunders Alessandra Prampolini, director general of WWF Italy. "The decisions and actions of the next five years will determine the future of our life on this planet. The key word is transformation: we must change the way we protect nature, transform the energy system, the food system — one of the main drivers of global biodiversity loss — and the financial system, directing it towards fairer and more inclusive investments." The two Cops, in this sense, are precious opportunities: bold action and strong leadership from governments are needed."