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NEW DELHI: There was a stark 73% decline in the “average size of monitored wildlife populations” globally over a 52-year period (1970-2022), whereas India became one of the most important countries that were successfully involved in wildlife recovery by turning around the populations of certain animals, including tigers, one-horned rhino and Ganga river dolphins, according to WWF’s biennial Living Planet Report (LPR) released on Thursday. Though the LPR remains silent on country-specific data, experts explaining certain points ahead of the release noted “significant changes” in biodiversity in India where nine species of mammals figured in the “critically endangered” list, 39% of 942 bird species reported “clear decline” and 32% (136 species) of the amphibians have been “threatened” by a combination of factors including agricultural practices and climate change. Nine mammals classified as critically endangered (CR) in India under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria are Kashmir Stag/Hangul, Malabar Large-spotted Civet, Chinese Pangolin, Andaman Shrew, Jenkin’s Shrew, Nicobar Shrew, Namdapha Flying Squirrel, Large Rock Rat and Leafletted Leaf-nosed Bat. The report is based on Living Planet Index (LPI), which tracks how species populations are faring around the world. The Index, produced by Zoological Society of London, includes 35,803 population trends of 5,790 vertebrate species (mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish) from 1970 to 2022. It noted the strongest decline in freshwater ecosystems (-85%), followed by terrestrial (-69%) and then marine (-59%) over the 1970 baseline. Region-wise, Latin America and the Caribbean registered the highest decline of 95%, followed by Africa (80%), Asia-Pacific (49%), North America (28%), and Europe and Central Asia (23%). The report said the “habitat loss and degradation” are the most frequently reported threat affecting monitored wildlife populations, followed by overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species and disease. “These threats are, in turn, driven by broader systemic failures across the food, energy and finance systems,” it said. Although the overall trend is negative due to the magnitude of the declining trends, LPR noted that half of the populations included in the Index are “stable or increasing”. It highlighted recoveries in populations of green turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and southern African elephants, which demonstrate that targeted conservation interventions can deliver proven results. Asked about the biggest takeaway in the LPR that flagged an upward trend in the numbers of species in India including tigers, Asiatic lion, common leopard and snow leopard, Sejal Worah, programme director, WWF-India, said one big message is that the country can actually turn around wildlife populations and species with the right combination of factors, including political will, required finances, civil society engagement and involvement with local communities. India has shown that wildlife recovery is possible, she added. WWF-India, during its pre-release presentation, however, underlined certain significant changes in biodiversity in India. It noted that the country is home to around 135 bat species that face neglect due to a “lack of research” and are threatened by urbanisation, deforestation, land-use changes and climate change. It also said that freshwater fish are among the most threatened vertebrates. “The LPR 2026 is both a stark reminder of the scale of the biodiversity crisis and a message of hope. While the LPI continues to highlight significant declines in monitored wildlife populations, the report also shows that these declines are not inevitable. Species recoveries, including those of tigers in India and globally, demonstrate what sustained conservation action, collaboration and long-term commitment can achieve,” said Ravi Singh, secretary general & CEO, WWF-India.
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Referring to data, the report said, “Although the overall global trend is negative, half (50%) of the populations included in the LPI are stable (7%) or increasing (43%). The magnitude of the declining trends, however, exceeds that of the increasing trends resulting in an average decline of 73% for the global LPI.” It, however, clarified that the percentage change in the index reflects the cumulative average proportional change in monitored animal population sizes at sites around the world since 1970, not the number of individual animals lost, nor the number of populations lost. It also said that the LPI are not directly comparable as they contain different sets of species (967 more populations and 295 more species have been added to the dataset since the LPR 2024) and cover a longer period each time.
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