Monitored African wildlife populations dropped 80 percent since 1970

Monitored wildlife populations across Africa declined by an average of 80 percent between 1970 and 2022, according to the Living Planet Report 2026 released on Oct. 8. Mongabay and UA.NEWS both reported that the global assessment tracked data across thousands of animal groups to measure changes in abundance. [1][3]

The findings evaluated vertebrate species including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Mongabay reported that despite the overall widespread reduction, the assessment highlighted specific pockets of recovery in areas where sustained conservation programs were maintained across multiple decades. [1]

The metric tracks relative changes in average population sizes rather than total individual animals lost or complete species extinctions. Similar patterns of biodiversity loss have been recorded in other taxonomic groups, where factors such as intensive agriculture and habitat destruction drive widespread population drops. [1][4]