Living Planet Report 2020
The findings of The Living Planet Report 2020 are clear. Our relationship with nature is broken.
Biodiversity - the rich diversity of life on Earth - is being lost at an alarming rate. The impacts of this loss on our well-being are mounting. And catastrophic impacts for people and planet loom closer than ever.
Time is running out. We must take action now if nature is going to recover.
The Living Planet Index
The population sizes of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles have seen an alarming average drop of 68% since 1970.
"It is possible for us to stabilise and reverse these trends through more ambitious conservation efforts and by making fundamental changes to the way we live"Dr Morné du Plessis, WWF South Africa
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The Living Planet Index by region
Why are we losing nature?
For a long time, it was still possible to say “more science is needed” to understand how exactly human activities were harming the natural world. Not anymore.
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Freshwater
We rely on freshwater for our survival but human activities are putting this vital resource under tremendous strain.
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Insects, soil & plants
Rhinos, polar bears and tigers may be the focus of most headlines about species loss, but did you know that many insects, plants and microscopic life forms are also facing extinction?
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Food security
Thousands of species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms are used for food. A vast range of others are essential to food production – ranging from pollinators that enable crop reproduction to microorganisms that enrich soils.
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Healthy people
Almost all aspects of human health depend on a thriving natural world. But if biodiversity loss continues at the current rate, the health and well-being of many will only get worse.
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The economy
Almost all of our economic activity relies on nature. If we don’t tackle the nature loss crisis, we risk huge disruption to the world’s economies and harm to the lives and livelihoods of many millions.
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Reversing nature loss
Pioneering new modelling shows that without further efforts to counteract habitat loss and degradation, global biodiversity will continue to decline.
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Nature-based solutions
We often think that technology will provide all the answers we need to the nature loss and climate crises. While this is sometimes the case, nature itself can provide many of the solutions we need.
Learn moreVoices for a living planet
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"We must recognise that if we have become powerful enough to change the entire planet then we are powerful enough to moderate our impact - to work with nature rather than against it."
Sir David Attenboroughs latest production is A Life on Our Planet, a feature documentary which he describes as his ‘witness statement’.
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"Just a click away is our capacity to connect and mobilise with millions of people from all around the world for causes that are bigger than ourselves"
Sara Constantino is a young environmental activist and social media influencer from Colombia
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“Somehow we have lost it, the art of storytelling to connect people’s hearts with nature. Instead we have told the stories from boardrooms and international conventions. We must use our pens and lens to promote the local voices.”
Kiunde Waweru is a features writer and media trainer who believes in humanizing the science story.
What can you do?
Humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives.
Do something about it
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