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Four wildlife species with population numbers rising

An elephant lifts its trunk as it stands with its herd inside Etosha National Park, Namibia
Elephants in Etosha National Park, Namibia

© Christopher Donovan

Key takeaways

In just over half a century, the world’s wildlife populations have declined by 73%. That’s according to WWF’s latest Living Planet Report. It’s a devastating loss, but if we look closely, there are signs of recovery—and hope.

Of the more than 5,000 species monitored in the report, about half have stable or even increasing populations. Recent history tells us that wildlife can rebound from population loss, if we commit to sustained, coordinated conservation over time.

The title and cover of WWF's 2026 Living Planet Report

© WWF

WWF's 2026 Living Planet Report

As wildlife populations decline by an average 73%, discover why scientists still find hope in nature's recovery

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What are some examples of species recovery?

Sea otters were nearly extinct by the end of the 19th century due to the commercial fur trade. Today, after decades of legal protection and translocations, the species occupies areas of its historic range, where it was absent for more than a century.1-4

In many cases, local and Indigenous communities lead species recovery efforts through coordinated, sustained action. The Critically Endangered yellow-crested cockatoo population doubled in just ten years on the island of Masakambing in Indonesia, after village regulations made it illegal to trap, own or transport the bird.5 On Guadalupe Island, off the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, the removal of invasive, feral goats and cats resulted in 454% increase in Laysan albatross populations between 2014 and 2019.6,7

The long-term success of species recovery depends on addressing the root causes of loss and transforming the systems that drive it. WWF’s Living Planet Report further examines four iconic species that have come back after staggering losses.

These stories are not an endpoint. There is more work to be done. But they do show what is possible when there is a shared goal, a credible pathway, and persistence across decades.

A tiger family of four in the early morning light inside Rathambhore National Park, India
A family of tigers inside India's Rathambhore National Park

© Archna Singh / Shutterstock / WWF

Tigers: a 70% increase

Between 2010 and 2025, global wild tiger numbers increased from 3,200 to around 5,700 individuals. That’s more than a 70% increase in population and the first documented reversal of their long‑term decline. This success was only possible through coordinated, collective action between governments, communities, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, NGOs, and donors. The approach included the Global Tiger Initiative, professionalized ranger units, expansion of protected areas, and anti-trafficking work.

Tiger recovery remains fragile and the species remains Endangered. Today, tigers still occupy less than 8% of their historic range.8 Today, there is an urgent need build up community-led coexistence interventions and support human-wildlife conflict management.

A green turtle hatches on the white sands beaches of Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania
A green turtle hatchling on the beach in Tanzania

© Roger Hooper / WWF

Green sea turtles: From Endangered to Least Concern

In 2025, the green sea turtle became the first marine turtle ever downlisted from Endangered to Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The recovery reflects 50 years of coordinated work across some 80 nesting countries. This includes protection of nesting females and eggs, beach management, lighting regulations, bycatch reduction efforts, enforcement against illegal take, and sustained community participation.9

Within monitored annual nesting sites, activity rose from around 419,000 nests in 2011 to roughly 526,000 in 2024.10 While the downlisting is cause for celebration, green turtles still need our help. Several subpopulations remain threatened in the central south and west Pacific, eastern Pacific, north Indian Ocean and Mediterranean, and climate change adds further pressure to nesting beaches.

An adult female elephant steers a young calf inside Amboseli National Park, Kenya
An elephant and young calf in Kenya

© Martin Harvey / WWF

Southern Africa elephants

While African savanna elephants remain Endangered, with numbers declining across much of their range, there are some populations in southern Africa which are increasing.11 How are these areas reversing the trend? The difference is governance. Countries in southern Africa built legal frameworks that provide local communities rights, responsibility, and investment in elephant stewardship. This comes mainly through community-based conservation, where local people benefit from eco-tourism and other efforts. These efforts are accompanied by anti-trafficking work, judicial reform, and reduced corruption.12,13

Of course, more elephants produce challenges of their own: human-wildlife conflict and habitat degradation. But as communities share commitments and agency, population numbers have held.

An Atlantic Bluefin tuna feeds in the Mediterranean Sea
An Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea

© Frédéric Bassemayousse / WWF-Mediterranean

Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna

By 2010, Atlantic bluefin tuna populations had fallen by 80%, and the species was listed as Endangered. At the same time, Pacific bluefin tuna had collapsed to 2% of unfished levels (the theoretical population number if humans never fished them). With both species headed towards extinction, nations and industry worldwide moved to reverse the trend.

A combination of actions—consumer campaigns, supplier boycotts, retailer commitments, recreational fishing reforms, and coordinated regional fishery management—resulted in a rise in populations to the point where neither is considered overfished or a species of major concern today.14 Yet as ocean waters continue to warm, sustaining that recovery will require resilience management approaches and continued vigilance, particularly against illegal and unregulated fishing.

Aerival view of a winding river through lush forests

© Jasper Doest / WWF

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Sources

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  2. Burris O, McKnight D. Game transplants in Alaska [Internet]. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Game: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Game; 1973. Report Technical Bulletin 4. Available from:
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  5. Nandika D, Mulyani YA, Prawiradilaga DM, Agustina D. Monitoring of Cacatua sulphurea abbotti Population in Masakambing Island, Indonesia. BIOTROPIA. 2020 Dec 23;27(3):271–81. doi:10.11598/btb.0.0.0.1229
  6. Hernández-Montoya JC, Luna-Mendoza L, Aguirre-Muñoz A, Méndez-Sánchez F, Félix-Lizárraga M, Barredo-Barberena JM. Laysan Albatross on Guadalupe Island, México: Current Status and Conservation Actions. Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist. 2014 Jan;7(1):543–54. doi:10.3398/042.007.0101
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  8. Sanderson EW, Miquelle DG, Harihar A, Breitenmoser U, Breitenmoser-Würsten C, Cooper DM, et al. The Indigenous Range of the Tiger (Panthera tigris). Diversity and Distributions. 2025;31(1):e13947. doi:10.1111/ddi.13947
  9. Wallace BP, Kot CY, DiMatteo AD, Lee T, Crowder LB, Lewison RL. Impacts of fisheries bycatch on marine turtle populations worldwide: toward conservation and research priorities. Ecosphere. 2013;4(3):art40. doi:10.1890/ES12-00388.1
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  12. Kuiper T, Altwegg R, Beale C, Carroll T, Dublin HT, Hauenstein S, et al. Drivers and facilitators of the illegal killing of elephants across 64 African sites. Proc Biol Sci. 2023 Jan 11;290(1990):20222270. doi:10.1098/rspb.2022.2270
  13. Hauenstein S, Kshatriya M, Blanc J, Dormann CF, Beale CM. African elephant poaching rates correlate with local poverty, national corruption and global ivory price. Nat Commun. 2019 May 28;10(1):2242. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-09993-2
  14. 116. IUCN. Tuna species recovering despite growing pressures on marine life [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2026 May 16]

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