France, Oct. 8 -- The conservation organisation's Living Planet Report 2026 found that the average size of monitored populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish in Africa fell sharply between 1970 and 2022.

Africa recorded the second-largest regional decline after Latin America and the Caribbean, where monitored wildlife populations fell by an average of 95 percent. The Asia-Pacific region recorded a 49 percent decline, while the global average was 73 percent.

The figures come from the Living Planet Index, compiled by the Zoological Society of London, which tracks changes in monitored wildlife populations rather than calculating the total number of animals lost.

"The first message is that the decline is continuing," Ya...