For three decades, WWF’s Living Planet Report has charted the shocking decline in the state of nature. The latest edition shows that wildlife continues to be lost at an alarming rate. But it also finds signs of hope: when we act together, nature can recover. And change can happen quicker than we think.
Abbie Reynolds, Interim CEO of WWF-New Zealand, said:
“Around the world, wildlife populations have declined at an alarming rate – and New Zealand is not immune.
“We are a country blessed with extraordinary wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. Nature is part of who we are as Kiwis and central to our economy.
“But I don’t think most New Zealanders realise just how bad things are for many of our native species. New Zealand has one of the highest proportions of threatened indigenous species in the world, with over 4,000 of our native species threatened or at risk of extinction. A staggering 90% of our seabirds, 94% of our reptiles, and 82% of our native birds are on the brink, and iconic wildlife like the hoiho are in serious decline. When we lose these incredible species from Aotearoa, they’re gone forever.
“But as WWF’s Living Planet Report shows, conservation works – and when we work together, nature can recover.
“We’ve seen that here in New Zealand. Tohorā/southern right whales were once nearly hunted to extinction, but their populations are recovering. There were just 51 kākāpo when the recovery programme began in 1995, but the population has now reached 325 and a record 90 chicks were added to the population this year. The karure, or Chatham Island black robin, was once down to just five individuals – but is now an internationally-celebrated conservation success, with 350 birds.
“These recoveries didn’t happen by chance. They are the result of decades of sustained, science-based conservation, large-scale habitat restoration, and enormous joint efforts from government, conservationists, iwi, businesses and communities.
“But continued underinvestment in conservation, habitat loss, and the growing impacts of climate change have pushed nature to the brink in Aotearoa, and over the last three years we’ve seen environmental protections eroded and nature treated as a ‘nice to have’ rather than the foundation of our economy. As we head towards the election, all political parties need to set out how they will properly protect and restore nature and invest in our future. Nature doesn’t get a vote, but New Zealanders do.”
The Living Planet Report is WWF’s flagship publication, released every two years, providing a science-based assessment of global biodiversity and the health of our planet. The 2026 report draws on the Living Planet Index, which tracks trends in wildlife populations around the world.