Biodiversity Indicators Partnership

Indicator description

The Living Planet Index (LPI) is calculated using time-series data on more than 16,500 populations of over 4,000 vertebrate species from around the globe. The LPI uses data that is of high temporal resolution and spatially explicit through being tied to a particular location. This allows for recording of metadata on local threats and conservation action and allows for disaggregation at different scales. The LPI data are accessible online through the Living Planet Database (www.livingplanetindex.org).

Related SDGs

GOAL 14

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Target 14.2| Relevant indicator

By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.

Target 14.4| Relevant indicator

By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.

GOAL 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Target 15.1| Relevant indicator

By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

Target 15.4| Relevant indicator

By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development.

Target 15.5| Relevant indicator

Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.

Target 15.7| Relevant indicator

Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products.

Target 15.8| Relevant indicator

By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species.

GOAL 14

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

GOAL 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Other related MEAs and processes

CITES

Target 1.7| Relevant indicator

Parties are enforcing the Convention to reduce illegal wildlife trade.

CMS

Target 5| Relevant indicator

Governments, key sectors and stakeholders at all levels have taken steps to achieve or have implemented plans for sustainable production and consumption, keeping the impacts of natural resource use on migratory species well within safe ecological limits to promote the favourable conservation status of migratory species and maintain the quality, integrity, resilience, and connectivity of their habitats and migratory routes.

Target 6| Relevant indicator

Fisheries and hunting have no significant direct or indirect adverse impacts on migratory species, their habitats or their migration routes, and impacts of fisheries and hunting are within safe ecological limits.

Target 7| Relevant indicator

Multiple anthropogenic pressures have been brought to levels that are not detrimental to the conservation of migratory species or to the functioning, integrity, ecological connectivity and resilience of their habitats.

Target 8| Relevant indicator

The conservation status of threatened migratory species has considerably improved throughout their range.

Target 11| Relevant indicator

Migratory species and their habitats which provide important ecosystem services are maintained at or restored to favourable conservation status, taking into account the needs of women, indigenous and local communities , and the poor and vulnerable.

Target 15| Relevant indicator

The science base, information, awareness, understanding and technologies relating to migratory species, their habitats and migratory systems, their value, functioning, status and trends, and the consequences of their loss, are improved, widely shared and transferred, and effectively applied.

IPBES Global Assessment

Chapter 2| Official indicator

Status and trends; indirect and direct drivers of change

Chapter 3| Official indicator

Progress towards meeting major international objectives related to biodiversity and ecosystem services

IPBES Regional Assessments

Chapter 3| Official indicator

Status, trends and future dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems underpinning nature’s benefits to people

Ramsar

Target 4| Relevant indicator

Invasive alien species and pathways of introduction and expansion are identified and prioritized, priority invasive alien species are controlled or eradicated, and management responses are prepared and implemented to prevent their introduction and establishment.

Target 5| Relevant indicator

The ecological character of Ramsar Sites is maintained or restored, through effective planning and integrated management

Target 7| Relevant indicator

Sites that are at risk of change of ecological character have threats addressed.

UNCCD

Expected impact 3.1| Relevant indicator

Sustainable land management and combating desertification/land degradation contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change.

CITES

CMS

IPBES Global Assessment

IPBES Regional Assessments

Ramsar

UNCCD

Themes

Partners

Indicator type

State

Applicable for national use

Yes (find out more)

Indicator classification

Operational and included in the CBD's list of indicators

Indicator type

State

Applicable for national use

Yes (find out more)

Indicator classification

Operational and included in the CBD's list of indicators

Goal/Target

Goal A

Update frequency

2 years

Coverage

Global

Global indicator

Availability

Data available on request:

Louise McRae: louise.mcrae@ioz.ac.uk

National methodology available

In development

Download

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Indicator description

Graphs / Diagrams

Figure 1. Global Living Planet Index, 1970-2014. Source: WWF & ZSL, 2018

To explore the data further, visit The Living Planet Index data portal which can be found here.

Current storyline

The Living Planet Index measures trends in the size of populations of threatened and non-threatened vertebrate species. The data can be used to assess if conservation actions are successful and if the status of threatened species at the population level has changed.

The global Living Planet Index shows a 60% decline from 1970 to 2014 meaning that on average, vertebrate populations have declined in abundance over this 44 year period.

Data and methodology

Coverage: Global time series (1970 onwards). Regional time series: (Arctic; 1970 onwards).

Scale: Aggregated from species data. Aggregated from regional data. Aggregated from system data.

Time series available: 1970-2018

Next planned update: 2020.

Possible disaggregations: Regional level, national level.

Metadata used: Population level threats and management actions; migratory behaviour; protected area information; species listing on the IUCN Red list and CITES/CMS appendices; summary taxonomic, geographic and ecological data; data quality measures.

Methodology: The LPI is not only a global index but can also be calculated for selected regions, nations, biomes or taxonomic groups, provided that there are sufficient data available. The Living Planet Index (LPI) is calculated using time-series data on more than 16,500 populations of over 4,000 species of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian and fish from all around the globe. The changes in the population of each species are aggregated and shown as an index relative to 1970, which is given a value of 1. The LPI can be thought of as a biological analogue of a stock market index that tracks the value of a set of stocks and shares traded on an exchange.

The Global Living Planet Index is the aggregate of three equally-weighted indices of vertebrate populations from terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems. In 2014, the method was adapted with a new weighting procedure to give a better representation of global vertebrate diversity and to correct for a bias towards well studied species from Europe and North America. The result is a steeper decline than in other versions of the LPI as a result of placing more weight on highly diverse regions and species groups which, on average, are declining faster. The results of the LPI are published biennially in the Living Planet Report.

National use of indicator

Producing this indicator nationally: The LPI is not only a global index but can also be calculated for regions and nations, provided that there are sufficient data available.

Use at the national level: The LPI method has been applied at the national level for Uganda and Canada, and at the regional level for Mediterranean Wetlands and the Arctic; a similar approach has been used for China and the Netherlands. Some of these applications resulted from collaborations with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to produce a national indicator following the latest methodology and others used a tailored version of the method. All are examples of a multi species indicator calculated using a geometric mean of abundance. Data submitted by nations and regions can be sent directly to the responsible organisations for the LPI, WWF and ZSL for collaboration on future applications.

Living Planet Index: Guidance for national and regional use

Examples of national use: LPIs have been produced for a number of different regions and countries. In 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2017, the LPI was applied at the national level to assess vertebrate trends in Uganda for their State of Uganda’s Biodiversity reports. In 2008, the indicator formed the basis for an assessment of the change in population abundance in wetlands across the Mediterranean region. The project has had a long-standing collaboration with the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council. This has resulted in a number of reports, such as the Arctic Species Trend Index (ASTI) in 2010 and an update in 2011, which focused particularly on marine populations (www.caff.is/asti/asti-publications), and a more recent report on Arctic migratory birds (https://www.caff.is/assessment-series/322-arctic-species-trend-index-migratory-birds-index). National indicators based on the LPI method have also been produced for China and the Netherlands. Most recently, the LPI has been used to assess trends in Canadian species, for which the methods are being drafted for publication.

Availability of global data for national use: Freely available for non-commercial use.

Work has now been completed to make the database available online in the form of the Living Planet Database with a view to encourage nations and regions to submit their data to produce both their own indicators and strengthen the global indicator.

To access national level data, an R package (rlpi) to calculate LPIs is provided here, but collaboration with the partner organisations is encouraged for producing new disaggregations of the LPI.

Contact person for supporting national use: For more information about producing regional and national Living Planet Indices, please contact Louise McRae (louise.mcrae@ioz.ac.uk) or Robin Freeman (robin.freeman@ioz.ac.uk).