Living Planet Index
Encyclopedia
The Living Planet Index (LPI) is an indicator of the state of global biological diversity, based on trends in vertebrate
populations of species from around the world.
The LPI provides the general public, scientists and policy-makers with information on trends in the abundance
of the world’s vertebrates and offers insights into which habitats or ecosystems have species that are declining most rapidly. This information can be used to define the impact humans are having on the planet and for guiding actions to address biodiversity loss.
The World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) is working in collaboration with the Institute of Zoology
(IoZ), the research division of the Zoological Society of London
(ZSL), to further develop the project which began in 1997.
The Living Planet Index was originally developed by WWF in collaboration with UNEP-WCMC, the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme
. UNEP-WCMC collected much of the data for the index in the first few years of the project.
Results are presented biennially in the WWF Living Planet Report, on the World Wide Web, and in publications such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
and the UN Global Environment Outlook
. National and regional reports are now being produced to focus on relevant issues at a smaller scale.
Between 1970 and 2007, the index fell by 28%. This global trend suggests that we are degrading natural ecosystems at a rate unprecedented in human history.
The global LPI is calculated using over 7000 of these population time-series which are gathered from a variety of sources such as journals, online databases and government reports.
A generalised additive modelling framework is used to determine the underlying trend in each population time-series. Average rates of change are calculated and aggregated to the species level.
Each species trend is aggregated to produce an index for the terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems. The three system indices are weighted equally within tropical and temperate regions which are then aggregated to produce the global LPI.
(CBD), 188 Nations committed themselves to actions to: “… achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels…”
The Living Planet Index is one of the indicators designated for immediate testing by the CBD as a means of measuring progress towards the 2010 target, specifically for trends in abundance and distribution of species. The work at ZSL is concerned with ensuring the most rigorous and robust methods are implemented for the measurement of population trends, expanding the coverage of the LPI to more broadly represent biodiversity, and disaggregating the index in meaningful ways (such as assessing the changes in exploited or invasive species).
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
populations of species from around the world.
The LPI provides the general public, scientists and policy-makers with information on trends in the abundance
Abundance (ecology)
Abundance is an ecological concept referring to the relative representation of a species in a particular ecosystem. It is usually measured as the large number of individuals found per sample...
of the world’s vertebrates and offers insights into which habitats or ecosystems have species that are declining most rapidly. This information can be used to define the impact humans are having on the planet and for guiding actions to address biodiversity loss.
The World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
(WWF) is working in collaboration with the Institute of Zoology
Institute of Zoology
The Institute of Zoology is the research division of the Zoological Society of London in England. It is a government-funded research institute specialising in scientific issues relevant to the conservation of animal species and their habitats...
(IoZ), the research division of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
(ZSL), to further develop the project which began in 1997.
The Living Planet Index was originally developed by WWF in collaboration with UNEP-WCMC, the biodiversity assessment and policy implementation arm of the United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
. UNEP-WCMC collected much of the data for the index in the first few years of the project.
Results are presented biennially in the WWF Living Planet Report, on the World Wide Web, and in publications such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, released in 2005, is an international synthesis by over 1000 of the world's leading biological scientists that analyses the state of the Earth’s ecosystems and provides summaries and guidelines for decision-makers...
and the UN Global Environment Outlook
Global Environment Outlook
The UNEP Global Environment Outlook project was initiated in response to the environmental reporting requirements of Agenda 21 and to a UNEP Governing Council decision of May 1995 which requested the production of a new comprehensive global state of the environment report.The coordinated global...
. National and regional reports are now being produced to focus on relevant issues at a smaller scale.
Between 1970 and 2007, the index fell by 28%. This global trend suggests that we are degrading natural ecosystems at a rate unprecedented in human history.
Calculating the Index
The current Living Planet Database (LPD) maintained by ZSL, contains over 10,000 population trends for more than 2,500 species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.The global LPI is calculated using over 7000 of these population time-series which are gathered from a variety of sources such as journals, online databases and government reports.
A generalised additive modelling framework is used to determine the underlying trend in each population time-series. Average rates of change are calculated and aggregated to the species level.
Each species trend is aggregated to produce an index for the terrestrial, marine and freshwater systems. The three system indices are weighted equally within tropical and temperate regions which are then aggregated to produce the global LPI.
Convention on Biological Diversity
In April 2002, at the Convention on Biological DiversityConvention on Biological Diversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity , known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international legally binding treaty...
(CBD), 188 Nations committed themselves to actions to: “… achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels…”
The Living Planet Index is one of the indicators designated for immediate testing by the CBD as a means of measuring progress towards the 2010 target, specifically for trends in abundance and distribution of species. The work at ZSL is concerned with ensuring the most rigorous and robust methods are implemented for the measurement of population trends, expanding the coverage of the LPI to more broadly represent biodiversity, and disaggregating the index in meaningful ways (such as assessing the changes in exploited or invasive species).
Building the LPD network
Population data invariably comes from the better monitored regions of the world; however a network of organisations collecting species population data is currently being developed. With the regular addition of high quality data to the LPD the LPI will provide greater coverage of species from poorly known taxonomic groups and regions. In addition, ZSL and WWF have recently begun forming partnerships to develop LPIs for Invertebrates and plants.See also
- Living Planet ReportLiving Planet ReportLiving Planet Report is published every two years by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It is based the their Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculations.-External links:* - Living Planet Report**...
- Vertebrata at WikispeciesWikispeciesWikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aim is to create a comprehensive free content catalogue of all species and is directed at scientists, rather than at the general public...
External links
- http://www.panda.org/news_facts/publications/living_planet_report/
- http://www.twentyten.net
- http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ioz/people/collen.htm
- http://www.footprintnetwork.org/index.php
- http://www.unep-wcmc.org
- http://www.ebcc.info
- http://unep.org/geo/geo3/english/221.htm