WWF's Living Planet Report 2024 reveals a “system in peril”

Posted on 10 October 2024

This October 10, 2024, WWF launches the 15^th edition of the Living Planet Report (LPR), which report on the global health of the Earth's species and ecosystems every two years.

This year's report sounds the alarm that the Earth is now a “system at risk”, as ecosystems come dangerously close to several irreversible tipping points. A tipping point is a point of no return that occurs when an ecosystem is pushed beyond a critical threshold, resulting in substantial and potentially irreversible changes.

Over the last 50 years, the Living Planet Index (LPI) used in this report has measured a catastrophic 73% loss in the average size of wildlife population observed between 1970 and 2020. Nearly 35,000 wildlife populations were studied, covering 5495 species of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles. We have gone from a global decline of 69% in 2022, to a decline of 73% in 2024. We have lost 4% of nature in 2 years.

The planet's wildlife is disappearing mainly because (1) their habitat has been degraded by the human food system. Additionally, it is disappearing because of (2) overexploitation, (3) invasive species and (4) disease. Populations of freshwater species are the hardest hit, declining by 85%, followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine (56%) populations.

When ecosystems are damaged, they cease to provide humanity with the benefits we have come to depend on - clean air, water and healthy soils for food - and they can become more vulnerable to tipping points. A tipping point is when an ecosystem is pushed beyond a critical threshold resulting in substantial and potentially irreversible change. The dieback of the Amazon rainforest and the mass die-off of coral reefs are among the global tipping points, which would impact on food security and livelihoods worldwide. More simply, if these ecosystems reach their limit, with no possibility of regeneration or restoration, the consequences for humanity will be disastrous.

Let's take a closer look at one of the ecosystems that are under extreme threat from: coral bleaching (which has experienced a 4^th global mass coral bleaching event, confirmed this year). Each bleaching event weakens the coral, leaving it unable to cope with other pressures, like pollution and overfishing. The mass die-off of coral reefs would destroy fisheries and reduce storm protection for coastal communities, as reefs act as buffers from waves, storms and floods.

In Madagascar, coral bleaching due to rising global ocean temperatures is one of the major phenomena threatening coral reef productivity. Coral reefs in the north-west and north-east of the island, which are the most exposed to the impacts of climate change, benefit from favorable natural conditions to the recovery of key species. However, reefs in other regions, particularly in the south-west, will have difficulty recovering from climatic events, due to man-made pressures (high population dependency on natural resources, overfishing, marine pollution, etc.). Rising ocean temperatures could thus lead to the collapse of these ecosystems, and consequently jeopardize the livelihoods of Madagascar's 3 million coastal inhabitants.

The next five years will be decisive for the future of life on Earth, and will require a huge collective effort. The countries, including Madagascar, which have agreed to halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2030 (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework 2022), are reaching a decisive turning point. At the next COP16 (Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity - CBD), they will have to demonstrate the political will and ambitious but achievable National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to tackle these critical issues for our planet.

WWF is therefore calling for countries to implement more ambitious national plans for nature and climate plans that include measures to (1) reduce global overconsumption, (2) halt and reverse both of domestic and imported biodiversity loss and (3) cut emissions, all in an equitable manner. WWF also urges governments and businesses to act to (1) rapidly eliminate activities with negative impact on biodiversity and climate, and (2) redirect finance away from harmful practices and towards activities that will deliver on the global goals.

According to Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, Director of WWF Madagascar: “At the rate at which Madagascar's terrestrial and marine ecosystems are deteriorating, the challenge remains high for conservation. WWF cannot cover the whole Madagascar territory. However, we do operate in areas, often remote, that concentrate significant biodiversity and vital ecosystems, which can significantly support the country's socio-economic development, if preserved and managed sustainably. We also science-based technical expertise, acquired over 60 years of action in Madagascar, which we can contribute to helping reverse the loss of biodiversity. The year 2030 marks a critical point in our trajectory, a point at which biodiversity loss must be halted, so that we can then progress towards a positive recovery. We must not fail to meet the global commitments we have signed up to, because nature is counting on us. We must act now if we are to reverse the trend, and together we can do so, by valuing nature as the only solution for our common future”.