The average size of monitored wildlife population has declined by 73 per cent over the 52-year period from 1970 to 2022, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report (LPR)-2026.The report says freshwater ecosystems recorded the sharpest decline of 85 per cent, followed by terrestrial ecosystems at 69 per cent and marine ecosystems at 59 per cent. Habitat loss and degradation remain the biggest threats to wildlife population, followed by overexploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive species and disease.The Living Planet Index (LPI), produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), tracks 35,803 population trends involving 5,790 vertebrate species between 1970 and 2022.The LPI highlights an average trend in population change and not an average of the total number of “individual animals” or species lost.At the same time, the report finds that nature can recover if society follows clear pathways to trigger positive tipping points in the energy, food and finance systems that drive biodiversity loss.The report also highlights recoveries in the population of green turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and southern African elephants, which demonstrate that targeted conservation interventions can deliver proven results. Global wild tiger numbers increased between 2010 and 2025 — a rise from 3,200 to around 5,700. India’s latest tiger count is 3,682, according to the 2022 All India Tiger Estimation.Other species in India whose numbers have seen an upward trend include the greater one-horned rhino (now over 3,300), the common leopard (13,874), the snow leopard (718), and the Asiatic lion, up from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025.The report also highlights India’s efforts to systematically assess and conserve its aquatic biodiversity. India’s first-ever range-wide river dolphin population assessment was conducted during 2021-23, covering 8,507 km of 28 rivers. The assessment contributed to India’s first science-based, range-wide population estimate of 6,324 dolphins in the Ganga.A positive tipping point has been passed in the energy sector. Since the energy system produces around three-quarters of global greenhouse-gas emissions, shifting from fossil fuels to renewables is crucial for tackling climate change and nature loss. The report highlights that the transport sector is rapidly decarbonising, driven by falling costs and improved batteries.Both China and India appear to be on the cusp of decoupling economic growth from rising fossil fuel consumption, with India shifting towards a solar-powered economy even faster than China, the report states.Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India, said, “The LPR-2026 is both a stark reminder of the scale of the biodiversity crisis and a message of hope. While the LPI continues to highlight significant declines in monitored wildlife population, the report also shows that the decline is not inevitable. Species’ recoveries, including those of tigers in India and globally, demonstrate what sustained conservation action, collaboration and long-term commitment can achieve.”He said, “But isolated success is not enough. The findings of the LPR-2026 underscore the need to transform the systems and practices that continue to drive nature loss, and to scale up solutions that enable both people and nature to thrive.