WWF's Living Planet Report Finds a "Rational Basis for Hope" as Tigers, Turtles and Elephants Recover
Wild tiger numbers are up more than 70% in 15 years, and green sea turtles and Atlantic bluefin tuna are no longer listed as Endangered.
The World Wildlife Fund's 2026 Living Planet Report, published this week, carries a message the series has rarely delivered: conservation is working where it is tried, and the world has reached some positive tipping points.
"Seemingly against the odds, we have a rational basis for hope." — WWF Living Planet Report 2026
The comebacks
The report highlights species that have turned the corner:
- Tigers: wild numbers have risen by more than 70% over the past 15 years
- African elephants: many populations are stable or growing
- Green sea turtles and Atlantic bluefin tuna: both are no longer listed as Endangered
- Sea otters: numbers are increasing
Al Jazeera's coverage adds mountain gorillas to the list. Tara Stoinski of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund told the outlet that the gorilla story shows "conservation can work."
A tipping point in energy
Lead author Mike Barrett, WWF's chief scientific advisor, said the shift to clean energy has gone past the point of no return.
"I would confidently say that we have passed a positive tipping point in the energy system." — Mike Barrett, WWF
Solar is now the cheapest source of new electricity in most countries, coal use is falling in many wealthy economies, and electric vehicles made up more than a quarter of new car sales in 2024, the report notes. Food systems and finance are earlier in the same journey.
The honest context
The hope sits alongside a hard number: monitored wildlife populations fell by an average of 73% between 1970 and 2022. WWF's point is that the declines are not inevitable.
"We can still end the loss of nature and indeed reverse it." — Mike Barrett, WWF