Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%
The decline occurred between 1970 and 2020
What happened
Wildlife populations around the world suffered a "catastrophic" average decline of 73% between 1970 and 2020, and human activity is mainly to blame, according to the latest Living Planet Index, released Wednesday. The biennial index, a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London, is an "important but limited and often misinterpreted assessment" of more than 5,000 vertebrate species, The New York Times said.
Who said what
The biggest driver of wildlife population decline was habitat loss, primarily from clearing land for farming, grazing and other human food production, the report said. Other significant factors included climate change, pollution, disease and the introduction of invasive species. The index "really does indicate to us that the fabric of nature is unraveling," said Rebecca Shaw, WWF's chief scientist.
The Living Planet Index's numbers are "so steep as to feel disorienting," but they "do not mean that wildlife in general has dropped" by 73%, the Times said. And while the exact "magnitude of declines remains unknown," there is "widespread scientific consensus that the planet is facing a crisis of biodiversity loss with dangerous implications for humanity."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Please don't just feel sad about the loss of nature," study lead author Mike Barrett, WWF's chief scientific adviser, told the BBC. "Be aware that this is now a fundamental threat to humanity and we've really got to do something now."
What next?
Dozens of countries will gather in Colombia on Oct. 21 for the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, aimed at reviewing and implementing a sweeping 2022 international agreement to restore natural habitats and safeguard animal and plant life.
-
Nasa’s new dark matter mapUnder the Radar High-resolution images may help scientists understand the ‘gravitational scaffolding into which everything else falls and is built into galaxies’
-
Is the US about to lose its measles elimination status?Today's Big Question Cases are skyrocketing
-
‘No one is exempt from responsibility, and especially not elite sport circuits’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The world is entering an ‘era of water bankruptcy’The explainer Water might soon be more valuable than gold
-
Climate change could lead to a reptile ‘sexpocalypse’Under the radar The gender gap has hit the animal kingdom
-
Why scientists want to create self-fertilizing cropsUnder the radar Nutrients without the negatives
-
The former largest iceberg is turning blue. It’s a bad sign.Under the radar It is quickly melting away
-
How drones detected a deadly threat to Arctic whalesUnder the radar Monitoring the sea in the air
-
‘Jumping genes’: how polar bears are rewiring their DNA to survive the warming ArcticUnder the radar The species is adapting to warmer temperatures
-
Environment breakthroughs of 2025In Depth Progress was made this year on carbon dioxide tracking, food waste upcycling, sodium batteries, microplastic monitoring and green concrete
-
Crest falling: Mount Rainier and 4 other mountains are losing heightUnder the radar Its peak elevation is approximately 20 feet lower than it once was
