Explore the data
Biodiversity loss: Protecting the world's wildlife
Below you'll find some charts that are used in the Biodiversity loss: Protecting the world's wildlife of Not the End of the World. Many of these charts are interactive so that you can explore this data over different periods, and for most countries in the world.
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First, I'll list some best data sources that I used when writing this chapter, and go back to for the most recent updates. They're some of the core datasets that we use on Our World in Data. This is not an exhaustive list – there are lots of others doing great work in this area. In particular, these are data sources that update over time, so they're not static or specific to a single year. That means you can track progress in the future.
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Where to go to explore more:
Explore the Data
Here are some interactive versions of charts used in the book. I've also left some notes on the underlying data source, where you can explore the methodology and related metrics.
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If you are using any of this data or the charts, please make sure to credit the underlying source (not me).
Living Planet Index
The charts below show the Living Planet Index (LPI) at a global level, followed by the LPI by region.
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Source: The data source is the Living Planet Index (Zoological Society of London and WWF).
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Explore more explanations about the Living Planet Index on Our World in Data.
Red List Index
The chart below shows the Red List Index across the world.
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Source: The data source is the IUCN, Red List Index.
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Explore more on this topic at Our World in Data.
Extinctions and extinction risk
The charts below show the number of confirmed species that have gone extinct since 1500, and the number of species threatened with extinction today. These lists are based on described and evaluated species – many other species haven't been studied, and we don't know much about their extinction risk.
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Source: The data source is the IUCN, Red List Index.
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Explore more on this topic at Our World in Data.
Coral reefs
The chart below shows the number of severe coral bleaching events by stage of the ENSO cycle. Bleaching events are common during the El Nino (warm) part of the cycle, but is also becoming common during La Nina (cool) and moderate years. This is the result of global warming.
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Source: The data source is a study published in Science by Terry Hughes et al. (2018).
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Explore more about this topic on Our World in Data.
Protected areas
The charts below show the share of land, and territorial marine waters that are deemed as 'protected'.
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Here are some additional charts on this topic:
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Source: The data sources are the UN Environment Programme (via the World Bank) and the UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2021). Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA).
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Explore more about this topic on Our World in Data.
Rhino and elephant populations
The following charts look at changes in rhino and elephant populations across the world:
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Source: The data sources are rhino and elephant databases produced by the IUCN. In the underlying charts, you can find the specific links to the reports.