Why it is in the news
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released its biennial Living Planet Report (LPR) 2026, whose Living Planet Index (LPI), produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), shows that the average size of monitored vertebrate populations fell by 73% over 52 years (1970–2022). Declines were steepest in freshwater (85%), followed by terrestrial (69%) and marine (59%) ecosystems, and the report names the food system as the single largest driver of biodiversity loss. The release coincided with India’s Wildlife Week (2–8 October).
The exam angle
Issue: Monitored wildlife populations have fallen by nearly three-quarters since 1970, yet targeted recoveries prove decline can be reversed — the gap lies in scale, finance and systemic drivers.