The Living Planet Report, an annual overview assessing the state of the natural world, has highlighted the decline, which has focused on the average size of monitored wildlife populations. Tracking almost 35,000 vertebrate species across the globe, the biggest threats are posed to freshwater populations, which have experienced an 85% decline— closely followed by terrestrial species (69%) and marine life (56%).
Regionally, the study found a decline of 95% in Latin America and the Caribbean alone, followed by a steep decline of 76% in Africa, 60% in Asia and the Pacific, 39% in North America, and 35% in Europe and Central Asia respectively.
The primary causes and continued threats to the consistent population decline are due to habitat loss, degradation, and overharvesting, due to our global human food system, overexploitation, and the rapidly heating planet - as well as invasive species and diseases. This diminishing biodiversity is detrimental to other ecosystems within the environment, impacting their systemic health and driving the state of the natural world closer to the irreversible disasters, including influencing food security and economies.
While the Living Planet Index explores threats to populations and ecosystems, the studies also overview populations that are stable or increased due to continued conservation efforts. The 2024 study revealed that a sub-population of mountain gorillas has increased, as well as bison populations in central Europe — yet these positive stabilisations are revealed with warnings that it isn’t enough with the widespread habitat destruction.
Almost 200 countries, including the UK, have signed up to a 2022 UN Agreement pledging to tackle nature loss, which includes setting aside 30% of the planet for nature by 2030. As well as this, throughout the week commencing 21st October, the Cop16 biodiversity summit will be held in Cali, Colombia, where countries will meet for the first time to discuss agreements on international targets to prevent further destruction of the planet.
