Over more than five decades, the number of wild animals worldwide has fallen by roughly 73 percent, a figure that suggests we are moving toward a point where nature can no longer sustain the benefits it has long provided. The Zoological Society of London, known as ZSL, compiles this assessment from decades of field studies, museum records, and ongoing monitoring to illustrate how populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife have changed in the wild. The decline is not just about individual species slipping away; it reflects disruptions across entire ecosystems that support pollination, pest control, water purification, climate regulation, and the cultural and economic well being of communities across North America, including the United States and Canada. The scale of the losses has consequences for food security, health, and resilience to climate shocks, and it demands urgent attention from policymakers, communities, and conservation groups alike. According to ZSL, urgent action is needed to safeguard the remaining biodiversity.
Using animal population information gathered from scientific journals, NGO publications, and other reliable sources, ZSL analyzed the status of approximately 5,500 wildlife species over the 50-year window from 1970 to 2020. The work synthesizes a wide range of data that includes long-term monitoring programs, historic records, and recent field surveys. While data gaps exist for some regions and groups, the overall pattern emerges clearly: a global downturn that touches many taxonomic groups and landscapes. The results underscore that declines are not uniform; some species have declined more steeply than others, and regional differences reflect local pressures and conservation responses. The analysis also points to the need for standardized methods in reporting, so trends can be compared reliably across regions, time, and governance contexts in North America and beyond.
We find that the situation is worst in Latin America and the Caribbean, where the 50-year decline reaches about 95 percent. Africa shows a 76 percent reduction in wild animal populations, a stark reminder of habitat loss, hunting, and land-use change. In Asia and the Pacific the decline is around 60 percent, while in North America a 39 percent drop and in Europe a 35 percent decline are observed. These numbers reflect a combination of direct pressures such as deforestation, overexploitation, and pollution, with indirect effects from climate change that alter rainfall, fire regimes, and resource distribution. The consequences are widespread: fewer pollinators threaten crops, fewer predators allow pest outbreaks, and fewer intact ecosystems erode the resilience of communities to extreme weather events. Regional patterns also reveal where conservation efforts have succeeded and where more work is needed to protect critical habitats and migratory corridors.
Scientists warn that without rapid action, this trend may intensify in the coming years due to global warming, ongoing habitat destruction, pollution, and other human activities. Forest loss, coral reef decline, wetland drainage, and the expansion of agricultural and urban land use continue to compress living space for many species. Climate change shifts the timing of breeding, feeding, and migration, complicating survival for species that rely on precise seasonal cues. Pollution—from plastics to agricultural runoff—adds stress that weakens immune systems and reduces reproductive success. Taken together, these pressures compound each other, pushing some populations toward local or regional extinctions and diminishing the ecosystem services that people depend on, including food production, clean water, flood control, and cultural value.
ZSL chief executive notes that the world is dangerously close to a tipping point for nature destruction and climate change. The warning is not meant to induce panic but to spur action across government, business, and civil society. Preservation of intact habitats, restoration of degraded landscapes, and sustainable management of land, water, and wildlife resources are essential. The report emphasizes that policy reform, protected areas expansion, reduced pollution, and targeted conservation programs can slow the pace of losses and help ecosystems recover where possible.
A nature reserve in Thailand was flooded on October 5, forcing the evacuation of around 100 elephants. The incident underscores how extreme weather events and rising water levels can threaten wildlife habitats and force rapid, large-scale responses. It also highlights the interconnected risks of climate change and habitat disruption, where even protected areas are not immune to the pressures that drive species from their homes.
Earlier reports described a case in Britain where a store-bought salad was found to contain a live frog, illustrating how wildlife can unexpectedly appear in human food chains. Such anomalies emphasize the broader reach of human activity into natural systems and the importance of maintaining robust biodiversity to buffer such shocks.