Tigers, tuna and otters show nature can still recover

The headline number is grim – wildlife populations around the world have declined by an average of 73% since 1970.

Yet behind that figure are signs that nature can recover – sometimes remarkably quickly – when habitats are protected, hunting and fishing are better controlled, and threatened species are given room to rebuild.

The latest Living Planet report by WWF, produced with the Zoological Society of London, tracked 35,803 populations across 5,790 species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles and amphibians between 1970 and 2022.

While the overall trend points sharply downward, about half of the populations studied were stable or increasing. Among the species showing signs of recovery are tigers, sea otters, southern African elephants, green turtles and Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna.

Wild tiger numbers, for example, have increased by about 70% since 2010 following years of conservation work. European bison, once extinct in the wild, have also been reintroduced to 10 countries over the past five decades.

“These are examples of species that can recover, can be reintroduced and recover when we actually do the right thing; when the right policies, the right conservation measures, the right protections, are in place,” said WWF chief scientific adviser Mike Barrett.

“But we have got to keep emphasising that these are bright spots against an overall picture that is still one of decline.”

Atlantic bluefin tuna offers one of the clearest examples. Once a common sight off British coasts, the species had seen its numbers fall by about 80% by 2010 and was listed as endangered.

After tighter management by governments and the fishing industry, populations recovered enough for the species to move away from the brink. Bluefin tuna are now being seen and caught again in British waters.

Otters tell a similar story. Once pushed close to extinction in the UK, they have returned across much of the country, while species such as beavers and white-tailed eagles have been successfully reintroduced after disappearing altogether.

For WWF, these recoveries are evidence that decline is not always irreversible. Barrett said they offer “grounds for hope”, even as the global picture remains deeply worrying.

Why wildlife is still declining

The report points to several major drivers behind the losses, including habitat destruction, agriculture and climate change. Agriculture remains the biggest cause of habitat loss, while climate change is adding further pressure to already vulnerable ecosystems.

The consequences extend far beyond wildlife itself. Healthy ecosystems support food production, fresh water, clean air and medicines, while also helping regulate the climate.

The Living Planet report estimates that nature underpins around half of the global economy, worth roughly US$58 trillion in 2023.

“It’s clear that global biodiversity loss is now widely recognised as an existential threat to economic stability and security and human wellbeing,” Barrett said.

“Given the appalling damage that humanity has inflicted on the planet over many decades, it is a remarkable truth that we have still got a way out.”

That way out, however, may not remain open indefinitely. The report warns that some ecosystems may pass “tipping points” beyond which recovery becomes far more difficult, or even impossible.

Warm-water coral reefs are among the systems thought to be especially vulnerable.

The same idea can work in the opposite direction, however: once enough momentum builds behind a positive shift, change can accelerate. WWF points to the energy transition as one example, with solar power, electric vehicles and other clean technologies becoming increasingly mainstream.

For wildlife, the lesson from the species that have rebounded is simpler: recovery depends on sustained action rather than hope alone.

Those success stories do not cancel out the 73% decline, but they do show that the downward path is not always fixed.

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