Conservation comebacks for wild tigers, tuna and green\u200b sea turtles prove that global nature loss can be reversed, \u200bscientists have said. \u200bBut a report warns food production must be the next \u200b\u201cpositive tipping point\u200b\u201d if the world is to avert biodiversity collapse.<\/p>\n
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) analysed nearly 36,000 animal populations and more than 5,000 species, producing the largest ever database of vertebrate wildlife. Scientists found populations had declined by an average of 73% since 1970, showing that \u201cnature continues to be degraded at an alarming scale\u201d, with \u201cno sign of losses slowing\u201d.<\/p>\n
Nature loss is no longer just an environmental challenge but a direct threat to the global economy, the report says, noting that about half of global GDP \u2013 roughly $58tn (\u00a344tn) in 2023 \u2013 depends on nature and its ecosystem services. The authors write that species collapse now poses an \u201cexistential threat to economic stability, geopolitical security and human wellbeing\u201d.<\/p>\n
Animal populations were found to be falling most sharply in tropical, biodiversity-rich regions, while trends in northern temperate parts of the world appeared much gentler.<\/p>\n
In Latin America and the Caribbean, land and freshwater wildlife populations fell by an average of 95% between 1970 and 2022, while the equivalent declines were 80% in Africa and 23% in Europe and Central Asia.<\/p>\n