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All habitat types, on both land and in water, are losing biodiversity. But the decline is greatest in freshwater habitats – and tropical freshwater habitats in particular.
These declines are on average – as for the overall tropical and temperate LPIs, tropical and temperate species living in each habitat type show starkly different trends.
The decline is greatest for freshwater species, whose populations show an average 37 per cent decline. The tropical freshwater index declined even more precipitously, by 70 per cent.
Overall, the global tropical index declined by 60 per cent since 1970. In contrast, the index for temperate regions increased by 31 per cent over the same period. (see figure on right)
However, this does not necessarily mean that temperate biodiversity is in a better state than tropical biodiversity, as the temperate index disguises huge historical losses prior to the start of the analysis.
(The animal populations tracked by the global Living Planet Index can be divided according to their habitat type – terrestrial, freshwater or marine.)
The freshwater Living Planet Index
© WWF/ZSL, 2012
The marine Living Planet Index
© WWF/ZSL, 2012
The terrestrial Living Planet Index
© WWF/ZSL, 2012
Scroll over the map to see the LPI in all tropical and temperate habitat types.
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).