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© WWF/ZSL, 2012The Living Planet Index reflects the overall health of our planet's biodiversity.
It works a bit like a stock exchange index, by tracking average changes in animal populations from around the world.The Living Planet Index continues to show around a 30 per cent global decline since 1970
- The 30% decline means that on average, species population sizes were 30% smaller in 2008 than in 1970
- This decline is seen in all biomes
- And is highest in freshwater habitats
- But the trend is not the same all over the world
- Tropical and temperate regions show starkly divergent trends
- As do high-income and low- and middle-income countries
The Index in detail:
Scroll over the map below to see the Living Planet Index in more detail in different habitat types in tropical and temperate areas.
Turning population trends into the Living Planet indices. Click on the image to enlarge.
Glossary
Biodiversity
Shorthand for biological diversity. Variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (CBD and UNEP).
Ecosystem
A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.
Biome
A major portion of the living environment of a particular region characterized by its distinctive vegetation and maintained by local climatic conditions.