The Living Planet Index, produced by the Zoological Society of London, follows 35,803 population trends of 5,790 vertebrate species (animals with backbones) from 1970 to 2022. Its headline number is a 73% average decline. That figure is a weighted average of population change, not a loss of 73% of individuals or species.
The detail matters. Across the data, 50% of populations were in decline, 7% were stable and 43% were increasing. Freshwater species fared worst, falling 85%, and Latin America and the Caribbean saw the steepest regional decline, at 95%.
There is also good news. Green sea turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and southern African elephants have recovered in places, which WWF credits to conservation. A survey estimating about 183,000 giant tortoises on Aldabra in Seychelles points the same way: heavy hunting in the 19th century left fewer than 1,000, but the island became a strict nature reserve in 1981, invasive goats were removed in 2012, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan, Armenia, later this month will review countries' progress on halting nature loss.
Another study this week suggests honeybees can crowd out wild pollinators. On Giannutri, a small Italian island, researchers temporarily removed honeybee hives, and nectar and pollen levels surged, letting wild bees forage more, National Geographic reported of the Current Biology study.
A big report tracked wild animals with backbones from 1970 to 2022. It found their numbers fell by 73% on average.
That does not mean 73% of animals are gone. It is an average of how much each group's numbers changed.
There is good news too. Green sea turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and elephants in southern Africa have recovered in places. Protecting them helped.