(29 September 2014) – According to the Living Planet Report 2014, published today by WWF, wild species lost on average more than half of its populations in four decades because of our lifestyle.
The Living Planet Report is the world’s leading, science-based analysis on the health of our planet and the impact of human activity. Knowing we only have one planet, WWF believes that humanity can make better choices that translate into clear benefits for ecology, society and the economy today and in the long term.
This latest edition of the Living Planet Report is not for the faint-hearted. One key point that jumps out is that the Living Planet Index (LPI), which measures more than 10,000 representative populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, has declined by 52 per cent since 1970.
For more than 40 years, humanity’s demand on nature has exceeded what our planet can replenish. We would need the regenerative capacity of 1.5 Earths to provide the ecological services we currently use. Beyond the overview of the state of the planet, the report also presents several practical case studies and possible solutions to manage our natural capital while respecting the ecological limits of the Earth.