WWF and the Zoological Society of London report that monitored wildlife populations fell by an average 73 per cent over 52 years, though half of populations are stable or rising.

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• WWF released the Living Planet Report 2026, titled "The Science of Hope," on October 8, in partnership with the Zoological Society of London.
• The report finds monitored wildlife populations fell by an average of 73 per cent between 1970 and 2022.
• The Living Planet Index tracks 35,803 population trends across 5,790 vertebrate species.
• Freshwater populations declined the most at 85 per cent, followed by terrestrial species at 69 per cent and marine species at 59 per cent.
• The average decline works out to about 2.5 per cent a year over the period.
• The figure is an average change in monitored populations and does not mean 73 per cent of all animals have disappeared.
• Half of the monitored populations are stable or increasing, with recoveries recorded in green turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and southern African elephants.
• Habitat loss and degradation was the most frequently reported threat, followed by overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species and disease.
• The report names food, energy and finance systems as the main drivers of nature loss.
• Asia and the Pacific recorded an average decline of 49 per cent, while India shows increases in tigers, Asiatic lions and greater one-horned rhinoceroses.
• The 2026 edition adds 295 species and 967 populations and a longer time series than the 2024 report.
• The report is published every two years and arrives days before the UN biodiversity COP17 in Armenia.