What does the steep drop in global wildlife mean for our economy?

According to the latest Living Planet Report from the World Wildlife Fund, monitored vertebrate wildlife populations across the globe suffered an average decline of 73% over the past half-century, primarily driven by human habitat destruction and agricultural expansion.

Habitat destruction spans every major biome, with tracked freshwater wildlife dropping by 85% amid pollution and dam construction, while land species fell by 69% and marine populations shrank by 59%.

Connecting this biological destruction directly to financial stability, Tanya Steele warned that 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.