Nature is in 'free fall' as world fast approaching irreversible 'tipping points'

The declines in global wildlife populations have been driven by human activities such as habitat destruction for food production, and are now being compounded by climate change

Conservationists are warning that nature is in a "free fall" due to human interference, with wildlife populations plummeting by almost 75% in the past half-century.

The WWF's latest report highlights the rapid approach of dangerous and irreversible "tipping points" in critical natural systems like the Amazon rainforest and polar ice caps, posing severe risks to both humans and animals. According to the Living Planet Index by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), there has been an average 73% decline in monitored global populations of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, and reptiles over 50 years.

Habitat destruction for agriculture and the exacerbating effects of climate change are the main culprits behind this dramatic drop. The WWF's Living Planet report urgently calls for a transformation in food production, energy, and financial systems to halt the decline of nature, which is essential for human survival.

This warning comes as nations gear up for the UN Cop16 and Cop29 meetings on nature and climate, with the report cautioning that tipping points are nearing, beyond which natural systems may undergo major and potentially irreversible changes. The report warns of a mass die-off of corals, which could devastate fisheries and storm protection for millions in coastal communities.

It also highlights the potential melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, which could trigger significant sea level rise. In the Amazon, deforestation and climate change could soon render it unsuitable for tropical rainforest, leading to a tipping point that would release vast amounts of carbon and alter global weather patterns.

The Living Planet Index, based on data from 35,000 population trends and 5,495 species, reveals that Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced the most rapid wildlife declines, with average wildlife populations plummeting 95% in 50 years. While Europe and North America have seen less dramatic declines, this is because large-scale impacts on nature had already occurred before 1970 in these regions, according to the report.

WWF chief scientific adviser Mike Barrett described the 73% decline as "really shocking". He said: "It’s not just the Living Planet Index, all globally recognised indicators tell exactly the same stories, whether we’re talking about population abundance, about species diversity, extinction rates, or the extent and intactness of natural habitats, these all tell us that nature is in free fall."

The report also draws attention to falling populations of creatures ranging from nesting female hawksbill turtles in the Great Barrier Reef to Amazon pink river dolphins in Brazil. The report also highlights some conservation success stories, such as the increase in mountain gorillas in East Africa's Virunga mountains and the resurgence of European Bison populations in central Europe.

However, it warns that these victories are insufficient against a backdrop of widespread habitat destruction. Despite global targets agreed by governments to tackle climate change, halt and reverse nature declines, and support sustainable development, the report warns of a significant gap between the necessary finance and action and what is currently being delivered.

The next five years will "determine the future of life on Earth", according to the report. It advocates for more effective protected areas, supporting the rights of indigenous and local communities who care for their land, and implementing "nature based solutions" like agroforestry and mangrove restoration.

The report also calls for an increase in nature-friendly farming, a shift towards more plant-based diets and less meat and dairy consumption in developed countries, reducing food waste, and redirecting harmful subsidies to support sustainable agriculture. It insists on a transformation of the energy system to curb climate changes and a redirection of finance away from harmful activities towards those that support global goals on nature, climate, and development.

The WWF in the UK is pushing for a groundbreaking Living Planet Act, demanding that the Government must show how it will manage the nation's land and seas to uphold commitments to climate, nature, and food security. And WWF UK’s chief executive Tanya Steele warned that Britons were “inadvertently driving deforestation and nature loss through what we eat and through what we buy” in products imported from abroad.

"So beyond the butterflies and the wasps here at home, what’s happening in the Amazon, what is happening all around the world, we have to acknowledge that it may feel far away, but actually that nature loss is being driven by us and by other developed countries and it is on us to stop and look to protect and restore nature."

'Nature underpins, of course, everything – our societies, our economies, it provides the food we eat and the air we breathe. This report is a wake-up call. The need to protect and restore nature has never been more urgent."