Monitored wildlife populations worldwide have declined by an average of 73 per cent between 1970 and 2022, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Report 2026. This analysis, which examined 5,790 vertebrate species, identified habitat loss and degradation as primary threats, followed by overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species, and disease.
Freshwater wildlife populations saw the steepest decline at 85 per cent, while terrestrial populations decreased by 69 per cent and marine populations by 59 per cent. The report attributes these pressures to broader issues within global food, energy, and financial systems.
Despite the global decline, the report highlights successes in conservation efforts in countries like India. India has recorded gains in several major species, including tigers, greater one-horned rhinoceroses, Asiatic lions, and common leopards. The country’s tiger population was estimated at 3,682, with rhinoceros populations exceeding 3,300 and common leopards at an estimated 13,874 individuals. Efforts also extended to aquatic biodiversity, with an estimated 6,324 Ganges river dolphins identified.
Source: Down To Earth