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PRESS RELEASE
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Embargoed for 13:00GMT on 13 October 2010
Tropics in decline as natural resources exhausted at alarming rate
– WWF 2010 Living Planet report
Gland, Switzerland – New analysis shows populations of tropical species are plummeting and
humanity’s demands on natural resources are sky-rocketing to 50 per cent more than the earth can
sustain, reveals the 2010 edition of WWF’s Living Planet Report – the leading survey of the planet’s
health.
The biennial report, produced in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and the Global
Footprint Network, uses the global Living Planet Index as a measure of the health of almost 8,000
populations of more than 2,500 species. The global Index shows a decrease by 30 per cent since
1970, with the tropics hardest hit showing a 60 per cent decline in less than 40 years.
“There is an alarming rate of biodiversity loss in low-income, often tropical countries while the
developed world is living in a false paradise, fuelled by excessive consumption and high carbon
emissions,” said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International.
While the report shows some promising recovery by species’ populations in temperate areas, thanks
in part to greater conservation efforts and improvements in pollution and waste control, tracked
populations of freshwater tropical species have fallen by nearly 70 per cent – greater than any
species’ decline measured on land or in our oceans.
“Species are the foundation of ecosystems,” said Jonathan Baillie, Conservation Programme
Director with the Zoological Society of London. “Healthy ecosystems form the basis of all we have
– lose them and we destroy our life support system.”
The Ecological Footprint, one of the indicators used in the report, shows that our demand on natural
resources has doubled since 1966 and we’re using the equivalent of 1.5 planets to support our
activities. If we continue living beyond the Earth’s limits, by 2030 we’ll need the equivalent of two
planets’ productive capacity to meet our annual demands.
"The report shows that continuing of the current consumption trends would lead us to the point of no
return,” added Leape. “4.5 Earths would be required to support a global population living like an
average resident of the of the US."
Carbon is a major culprit in driving the planet to ecological overdraft. An alarming 11-fold increase
in our carbon footprint over the last five decades means carbon now accounts for more than half the
global Ecological Footprint.
The top 10 countries with the biggest Ecological Footprint per person are the United Arab Emirates,
Qatar, Denmark, Belgium, United States, Estonia, Canada, Australia, Kuwait and Ireland.
The 31 OECD countries, which include the world’s richest economies, account for nearly 40 per cent
of the global footprint. While there are twice as many people living in BRIC countries – Brazil,
Russia, India and China – as there are in OECD countries, the report shows the current rate of perperson footprint of the BRIC countries puts them on a trajectory to overtake the OECD bloc if they
follow same development path.
"Countries that maintain high levels of resource dependence are putting their own economies at
risk,” said Mathis Wackernagel, President of the Global Footprint Network. “Those countries that
are able to provide the highest quality of life on the lowest amount of ecological demand will not
only serve the global interest, they will be the leaders in a resource-constrained world."
New analysis in the report also shows that the steepest decline in biodiversity falls in low-income
countries, with a nearly 60 per cent decline in less than 40 years.
The biggest footprint is found in high-income countries, on average five times that of low-income
countries, which suggests unsustainable consumption in wealthier nations rests largely on depleting
the natural resources of poorer, often still resource rich tropical countries.
The Living Planet Report also shows that a high footprint and high level of consumption, which
often comes at the cost of others, is not reflected in a higher level of development. The UN Human
Development Index, which looks at life expectancy, income and educational attainment, can be high
in countries with moderate footprint.
The Report outlines solutions needed to ensure the Earth can sustain a global population projected to
pass nine billion in 2050, and points to choices in diet and energy consumption as critical to reducing
footprint, as well as improved efforts to value and invest in our natural capital.
“The challenge posed by the Living Planet Report is clear,” said Leape. “Somehow we need to find a
way to meet the needs of a growing and increasingly prosperous population within the resources of
this one planet. All of us have to find a way to make better choices in what we consume and how we
produce and use energy."
For further information:
WWF :Richard McLellan , rmclellan@wwfint.org, +41 22 364 9228 mob: +41 79 786 9609
Sarah Bladen, sbladen@wwfint.org, +41 22 364 9019 mob: +41 79 415 0220
Natalia Reiter, nreiter@wwfint.org , +41 22 3649550, mob; +41 798738099
GFN: Nicole Achs Freeling, nicole@footprintnetwork.org , +1-510-839-8879 x 302
Pati Poblete, pati@footprintnetwork.org, +1-510- 839-8879 ext. 320
ZSL: Victoria Picknell, victoria.picknell@zsl.org, +44 20 7449 6361
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with
almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to
stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in
harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of
renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful
consumption. www.panda.org/media for latest news and media resources.
About ZSL
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation
and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. ZSL runs ZSL
London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and
is actively involved in field conservation in over 50 countries worldwide. www.zsl.org
About GFN
The Global Footprint Network promotes a sustainable economy by advancing the Ecological
Footprint, a tool that makes sustainability measurable. Together with its partners, the network
coordinates research, develops methodological standards, and provides decision makers with robust
resource accounts to help the human economy operate within the Earth’s ecological limits.
www.footprintnetwork.org