Conservation returns to wild tigers, tuna and green turtles prove global nature loss can be reversed, scientists say. But a report warns that food production must be the next “positive tipping point” if the world is to avoid biodiversity collapse.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) analyzed nearly 36,000 animal populations and more than 5,000 species, producing the largest ever database of vertebrate fauna. Scientists found that populations have declined by an average of 73% since 1970, showing that “nature continues to degrade on an alarming scale,” with “no signs of the losses slowing.”
Nature loss is no longer just an environmental challenge but a direct threat to the global economy, the report says, noting that around half of global GDP – around $58 trillion (£44 trillion) in 2023 – depends on nature and its ecosystem services. The authors write that species collapse now poses an “existential threat to economic stability, geopolitical security, and human well-being.”
Animal populations were found to decline most sharply in biodiversity-rich tropical regions, while trends in the world’s northern temperate regions appeared much gentler.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, populations of terrestrial and freshwater wildlife fell by an average of 95% between 1970 and 2022, while equivalent declines were 80% in Africa and 23% in Europe and Central Asia.
Freshwater wildlife has suffered the greatest losses among the world’s ecosystems, with monitored populations in rivers and lakes declining by 85% on average, compared to 69% for terrestrial species and 59% for marine species.
Tanya Steele, chief executive of WWF UK, said: “The loss of nature is not just a crisis for wildlife. It is already taking its toll through growing risks to our food security, water supplies, economy and resilience to climate shocks.”
“We are at a crossroads: we either continue to pay the growing price of nature loss, or we invest in nature restoration and a future where people and wildlife can thrive together. »
But despite the decline in global biodiversity, wild tigers, green turtles and bluefin tuna are recovering, the report says, showing that “it is still possible to reverse global nature loss when action is taken.”
As of 2010, there were approximately 3,200 wild tigers left in the world and the species was on the verge of extinction. After sustained and targeted conservation interventions, the population increased to approximately 5,700, an increase of more than 70%.
Becci Day, head of tigers at WWF UK, said the remarkable return of wild tigers demonstrated the “science of hope” and proved that when climate and ecological action is taken, change is possible.
The report said bluefin tuna populations in the Atlantic and Pacific, which were collapsing after decades of overfishing, had recovered to the point that none were now considered threatened.
Last year, the green turtle became the first sea turtle to be downgraded from endangered to “least concern” on the IUCN Red List, reflecting 50 years of coordinated conservation work in about 80 countries.
Dr Mike Barrett, chief scientific adviser to WWF UK and co-author of the report, said: “These are examples of how nature can recover even when pushed to the brink, and they inspire us. It is also very clear that conservation alone cannot tackle the scale of the threats facing nature.”
He said nature would have no chance of recovery if “negative tipping points” – irreversible, self-perpetuating ecological changes that accelerate the climate crisis – were passed. “The systems driving nature loss need to be transformed. These are energy, food and finance,” he said.
“Our report shows that we have already passed the tipping point in the energy sector with the adoption of renewable energy. This transition is now unstoppable. It’s not happening fast enough, but it is unstoppable.”
Humanity must also adapt the way it produces food, he said. “Agriculture is the main cause of habitat loss and degradation and therefore biodiversity loss. It is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and thus contributes to climate change, so you have that feedback.”
Dr Steve Smith, a researcher at the Global Systems Institute and co-author of the report, said: “The biggest prize for nature recovery would be a sustainable and healthy food system, but it is currently furthest from a positive tipping point. For example, agricultural expansion is behind almost 90% of deforestation worldwide.”
Positive tipping points are thresholds beyond which a sustainable technology or practice becomes increasingly cheap, widespread, or politically popular, allowing progress to self-propel.
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