Global wildlife populations in freefall

Wildlife populations have fallen by more than two-thirds in less than 50 years as humanity pushes the planet’s life support systems to the edge, according to a report by the conservation group WWF


WILDLIFE DECLINE, 1970-2016

Living Planet Index (Measure of diversity)
Confidence limits

Average abundance of 20,811 populations of 4,392 species declined by alarming 68 percent

Freshwater species have declined by 84%. Other worst-hit wildflife include eastern lowland gorillas in D.R. Congo

1.2
1.0 
0.8 
0.6 
0.4 
0.2
0 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2016


LIVING PLANET INDEX BY REGION

33% North America 
94% Latin America & Caribbean: Greatest decline due to habitat loss, overexploitation, climate change and disease
24% Europe & Central Asia
65% Africa 
45% Asia- Pacific


Sources: 2020 Living Planet Index by WWF, ZSL 
Picture: Getty Images 
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