The Living Planet Index reflects the overall health of our planet's biodiversity.
It works a bit like a stock exchange index, by tracking average changes in animal populations from around the world.
Global biodiversity has declined
LIVING PLANET REPORT 2012- DOWNLOAD
Scroll over the map in left side to see the Living Planet Index in more detail in different habitat types in tropical and temperate areas.
GLOSSARY
Biodiversity
Shorthand for biological diversity. Variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (CBD and UNEP).
Ecosystem
A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.
Shorthand for biological diversity. Variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (CBD and UNEP).
Ecosystem
A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.
The Global Living Planet Index The index shows a decline of around 30% from 1970 to 2007, based on 7,953 populations of 2,544 species of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish.
Since 1970, the global Living Planet Index has declined by 28 per cent.
