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International Relations

WWF Living Planet Report and Living Planet Index

WWF's two-yearly report on the state of global wildlife, built on the Living Planet Index with ZSL; exams ask the publisher, frequency and headline decline.

Pareto Academy · updated 26 October 2026

At a glance

The Living Planet Report (LPR) is WWF's flagship report on the health of nature, published every two years. Its centrepiece is the Living Planet Index (LPI), compiled with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which tracks the average change in size of thousands of monitored populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians since 1970. The 2026 edition reported an average decline of 73% between 1970 and 2022.

Key facts

  • Publisher: WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)
  • LPI partner: Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
  • First Living Planet Report: 1998
  • Frequency: every two years (biennial)
  • Baseline year of the index: 1970
  • LPR 2026 released: 8 October 2026
  • LPR 2026 headline: 73% average decline in monitored vertebrate populations, 1970–2022
  • LPR 2026 data: 35,803 population trends of 5,790 vertebrate species
  • WWF founded: 29 April 1961; first office at Morges, Switzerland
  • WWF HQ: Gland, Switzerland
  • WWF logo: giant panda (based on Chi Chi)
  • Name: World Wildlife Fund until 1986; World Wide Fund for Nature since (still "World Wildlife Fund" in the US and Canada)

How it works

What the index measures. The LPI tracks the average rate of change in population sizes. A 73% fall means the average monitored population is about a quarter of its 1970 size; it does not mean 73% of animals or species have disappeared. About half of the monitored populations are stable or rising.

LPR 2026 by habitat and region.

Group Average decline, 1970–2022
Freshwater populations 85%
Terrestrial populations 69%
Marine populations 59%
Latin America and the Caribbean 95%
Asia-Pacific 49%

Drivers. The report names habitat loss and degradation (mainly from food systems) as the biggest threat, followed by overexploitation, invasive species, disease, climate change and pollution.

Recent developments

  • 8 Oct 2026: WWF and ZSL released LPR 2026: monitored wildlife populations fell 73% on average between 1970 and 2022; freshwater fell most (85%), and Latin America and the Caribbean recorded a 95% decline. The headline figure was unchanged from the 2024 edition (73%, 1970–2020) but used more data.

Exam traps

  • The LPR is by WWF with ZSL, not by UNEP or IUCN. The IUCN publishes the Red List of Threatened Species.
  • WWF (nature conservation, Gland) is different from the WEF (World Economic Forum, Cologny/Geneva) and the WFP (World Food Programme, Rome).
  • The LPR is biennial; WWF's Earth Hour campaign is annual.
  • Freshwater populations show the steepest decline; Latin America and the Caribbean is the worst-hit region.

Quick check

  • Q: Which organisation compiles the Living Planet Index with WWF? A: Zoological Society of London.
  • Q: How often is the Living Planet Report published? A: Every two years.
  • Q: Where is WWF headquartered? A: Gland, Switzerland.

Further reading

Sources

In the news

Every time this topic has appeared in our current affairs, newest first:

  1. Week of 8–14 October 2026WWF Living Planet Report 2026: monitored wildlife down 73% on average since 1970