‘Nature can recover faster than we think’: WWF says wildlife bounce-back possible

Wildlife can bounce back faster than people realise, claims a new report, while urging the world to “seize a shrinking window to save nature”.

The Living Planet Report 2026, published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), opened with a sobering stat: monitored vertebrate populations have declined by an average of 73% since 1970.

However, it highlighted the recovery of four species – tigers, turtles, tuna and elephants – as proof that losses can be reversed. It also pointed to the world’s rapid uptake of green energy as proof that systems can change at pace.

Describing the embrace of renewables as a “positive tipping point”, the WWF said it was vital that similar shifts happen in agriculture.

“At a moment when climate change is undermining farming and food security… the case for switching to nature-positive production and more sustainable diets that require less land is becoming ever-stronger,” the report said. “But the pace of change lags years behind the energy system.”

Tipping points researcher Dr Steve Smith from Exeter University said: “Just as solar power went from niche to dominant in a generation, nature’s decline is not inevitable. It’s the sum of our choices, and these choices can tip.”