Global Wildlife Population Declines 73% in 50 Years, WWF Report Reveals

The Living Planet Report 2024 revealed a 73% drop in the global wildlife population over the past 50 years, a sharp increase from the 69% decline reported two years ago.

Freshwater ecosystems experienced the steepest decline (85%), followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine (56%) ecosystems, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s biennial report.

The report identified habitat loss and degradation, mainly driven by food systems, as the biggest threat to wildlife.

The report also highlighted overexploitation, invasive species, diseases, and the climate crisis as key pressures on ecosystems. In the Asia-Pacific region, including India, pollution adds to a 60% average decline in wildlife populations.

The findings are based on the Living Planet Index (LPI), a global dataset tracking 32,000 populations of 5,230 species, provided by the Zoological Society of London.