About the report

• • The Living Planet Report is a biennial report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) since 1998.
  • It is the world’s leading, science-based analysis, on the health of our planet and the impact of human activity.
  • It is based on the Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculations.

• The Living Planet Index (LPI) is a measure of the state of the world’s biological diversity based on population trends of vertebrate species from terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats. 

• The Ecological Footprint is an aggregate measure of the demands that resource consumption places on ecosystems and species.

Why in News?

• The latest edition of the Living Planet Report was recently released by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Highlights of the 2024 Report

• There has been a decline in the size of the wildlife population by 73% in the last 50 years during the year 1970-2020.
• Globally the steepest decline in monitored wildlife populations have been reported in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%), Asia-Pacific (60%).
• Among ecosystems, the highest decline was reported in freshwater ecosystems (85%), followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine (56%) ecosystems.
• The report cites habitat loss and degradation as the main threat to wildlife along with over exploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species, diseases, etc
• The report also cites that decline in population of species beyond certain levels would affect essential ecosystem services such as seed dispersal, pollination, grazing, nutrient cycling, etc
• The report also highlighted that in In India, the decline of three vulture species – white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture, and slender-billed vulture, has been alarming.

About WWF

• WWF is an international non-governmental organization working in the field of wilderness preservation and reduction of human impact on the environment.
• It was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Gland, Switzerland.
• It  aims to stop degradation of the planet’s natural environment and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
• Currently, its work is organized around these six areas: food, climate, freshwater, wildlife, forests and oceans.
• Various undertakings of the WWF include Living Planet Report, Earth Hour, Debt for Nature Swaps, etc.