Global vertebrate populations fell 73% between 1970 and 2022, WWF report shows

Global wildlife decline

Monitored vertebrate wildlife populations shrank by an average of 73% between 1970 and 2022, according to the latest Living Planet Report published by the World Wildlife Fund. The assessment draws on the Living Planet Index, created by the Zoological Society of London, which tracked nearly 36,000 individual populations across 5,790 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. This dataset represents roughly 7.4% of all known vertebrate species worldwide. While approximately half of the monitored animal populations remained stable or expanded during this 52-year period, severe declines in the remainder brought down the global average. Human activities driving land-use conversion, including agricultural expansion, energy infrastructure, and resource extraction backed by the financial system, remain responsible for the loss and deterioration of natural habitats.

Freshwater ecosystems hit hardest

Freshwater habitats experienced the steepest losses of any biome, with tracked populations dropping by an average of 85% between 1970 and 2022. Rivers and lakes face cumulative pressures from chemical pollution, excessive water extraction, canalisation, and the construction of dams. These infrastructure projects disrupt migratory routes and fish breeding grounds, while also threatening larger riverine species including hippopotamuses, otters, crocodiles, and freshwater turtles. Terrestrial animal populations fell by an average of 69% over the same timeframe, largely driven by agricultural conversion that destroyed an estimated 420 million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2020. Marine wildlife populations decreased by 59%, though targeted regulatory measures, such as reduced catch quotas and stricter monitoring, helped reverse negative trends for certain commercial tuna stocks even as shark and ray populations continued to fall.

Regional disparities and economic risks

Population declines varied substantially across world regions, with tropical, biodiversity-dense ecosystems suffering the sharpest reductions. Monitored land and freshwater wildlife fell by an average of 95% across Latin America and the Caribbean between 1970 and 2022, while monitored populations in Africa dropped by 80%. In contrast, northern temperate regions experienced much gentler downward trends, with populations across Europe and Central Asia declining by 23%. The authors connect these ecological losses to wider financial stability, noting that roughly half of global gross domestic product, representing approximately $58 trillion in 2023, directly depends on nature and ecosystem services. WWF UK chief executive Tanya Steele warned of the mounting economic consequences of environmental destruction.

Nature loss is not just a crisis for wildlife. It's already sending us the bill through growing risks to our food security, water supplies, economy and resilience to climate shocks.

Targeted conservation and recovery

The report identifies global food systems as the decisive area requiring transformation to avert ecological collapse, noting that food production must reach a positive tipping point. Despite widespread losses, targeted interventions show that wildlife populations can recover when conservation policies receive sustained political backing. Coordinated anti-poaching and habitat protections enabled wild tiger counts to begin rebounding after falling to roughly 3,200 animals in 2010. Similar interventions aided the recovery of green sea turtles, bluefin tuna, and regional elephant populations in southern Africa. Kathrin Samson, head of nature conservation at WWF Germany, emphasized that humanity remains reliant on intact ecosystems for survival.

Without biodiversity on this planet, food, medicines, clean water and safe places to live are lacking.

Samson noted that the downward trajectory can be reversed if nature protection becomes a binding obligation across business, politics, and society. The report stresses that success relies on political will and formal partnerships among governments, conservation organisations, and local communities.