Leading conservation organisation WWF is warning that the global biodiversity which sustains all life on earth is in crisis, putting every species at risk.

The NGO’s latest flagship publication - The Living Planet Report 2022 - is WWF’s most comprehensive study to date of trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet.

The report reveals global wildlife populations have plummeted by 69% on average since 1970.

Launching the report, WWF said:

“The staggering rate of decline is a severe warning that the rich biodiversity that sustains all life on our planet is in crisis, putting every species at risk – including human beings.

“The climate and nature crisis is not only an environmental issue, but an economic, development, security, social, moral and ethical issue too. Our world’s most vulnerable people, places and wildlife – and those least responsible for the climate and nature crisis – are at greatest risk, and already suffering.

“While conservation efforts are helping, urgent action is required if we are to reverse the loss of nature this decade. We all have a role to play in building a better future for our wildlife, our climate and for all of us.”

WWF is highlighting that this year alone, the world has seen forests burning, rivers and oceans polluted, record temperatures hit across the world, thousands of homes lost to extreme flooding, wildfires and rising sea levels, and food supplies decimated by droughts.

“The evidence is clearer than ever – we are living through the dual crises of catastrophic nature loss and climate change, driven by the unsustainable use of our planet’s resources. Unless we stop treating these emergencies as two separate issues, neither problem will be addressed effectively,” WWF says.

EAC Chair urges UK Government to demonstrate "unwavering leadership to protect nature"

Reacting to WWF’s Living Planet Report, Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said:

“The WWF’s report today illustrates worrying findings of the dire state of biodiversity around the globe. When our Committee looked into this issue last year, we were alarmed to learn that the world is witnessing the fastest decline in biodiversity in human history. We must arrest further decline in its tracks and do more to protect global nature.

“That is why COP15 cannot come soon enough, not least given the delays due to the pandemic. The global community must unite for nature and put in place durable protections for biodiversity and ecosystems. Healthy biodiversity is critical for the air that we breathe and the food that we eat. That is why our Committee made far-reaching recommendations to reduce the UK’s footprint on global biodiversity: ranging from an environmental footprint target and sustainability impact assessments for trade deals.

"We suggested the Government make mandatory the reporting on sustainable procurement and make it illegal for UK businesses and the finance sector to use commodities linked to deforestation.

“I urge the UK Government to demonstrate unwavering leadership to protect nature and build on the work done at COP26 and by the previous administration through the Environment Act. We should rise to this challenge for the present and future health of our planet.”

Click here to download the report in full