The Living Planet Report describes the changing state of global biodiversity and the pressure on the biosphere arising from human consumption of natural resources.
《地球生命力报告》描绘了全球生物多样性的变化状态和人类对自然资源的消耗给生物圈带 来的压力。
It is built around two indicators: the Living Planet Index, which reflects the health of the planet’s ecosystems; and the Ecological Footprint, which shows the extent of human demand on these ecosystems. These measures are tracked over several decades to reveal past trends. Then they are used to explore what might lie ahead. They show how the choices we make might lead to a sustainable society living in harmony with robust ecosystems, or to the collapse of these same ecosystems，resulting in a permanent loss of biodiversity and erosion of the planet’s ability to support people.
报告主要有两个显示指数:反映地球生态系统健康状况的“地球生命力指数”和显示人类对这 些生态系统需求程度的“生态足迹”。这些指数综合了过去几十年的 趋势，据此试图探知未来的情形。这些预测显示出我们当下所作出 的选择将如何影响到我们的未来:是最终实现了可持续发展，与充 满生命力的生态系统和谐共处;还是导致了这些生态系统的崩溃， 致使生物多样性永久丧失,也侵蚀了地球支撑人类生命的能力。
The Living Planet Index measures trends in the earth’s biological diversity. By tracking wild species, the Living Planet Index is also monitoring the health of ecosystems. Between 1970 and 2003, the index fell by about 30%. This global trend suggests that we are degrading natural ecosystems at a rate unprecedented in human history.
“地球生命力指数”衡量了世界上生物多样性的趋势。通过跟踪 野生物种,“地球生命力指数”同时也在监测生态系统的健康程度。从 1970年到2003年，该指数下降了 30%。这个全球趋势表明，我们正在以 一种人类历史上前所未有的速度破坏着自然生态系统。
Biodiversity suffers when the biosphere’s productivity cannot keep pace with human consumption and waste generation.
当生物圈的生产能力跟不上人类消费和生产垃圾的速度时，生 物多样性就会遭殃。
The Ecological Footprint tracks this in terms of the area of biologically productive land and water needed to provide ecological resources and services~food, fibre, and timber, land on which to build， and land to absorb carbon dioxide (C02) released by burning fossil fuels. The earth’s biocapacity is the amount of biologically productive area~cropland, pasture, forest, and fisheries~that is available to meet humanity’s needs. Freshwater consumption is not included in the Ecological Footprint; rather it is addressed in a separate section of the report.
“生态足迹”反映的是人类对于自然界能够提供生态资源和 生态服务的具有生物生产力的土地和水的需求——包括食物、纤 维、木材、建筑用地，以及吸纳由于燃烧化石燃料而产生的二氧化 碳所需的土地。地球的生物承载力是指能满足人类需求的、可用 的、具有生物生产力的土地面积，包括农田、牧场、森林和渔场。有 关淡水的消耗情况没有包含在“生态足迹”中，而是在报告中的一部 分被单列出来。
Since the late 1980s, we have been in overshoot—the Ecological Footprint has exceeded the earth’s biocapacity~as of 2003 by about 25 per cent. Effectively, the earth’s regenerative capacity can no longer keep up with demand~people are turning resources into waste faster than nature can turn waste back into resources.
从20世纪80年代后期以来，我们一直处于“生态足迹”过度超过 地球生物承载力的状态,2003年超过的幅度达25%。事实上，地球的 再生能力已经跟不上人类的需求，因为人们将资源变成废弃物的速度远远高于自然把废弃物再变成资源的速度。
Humanity is no longer living off nature’s interest, but drawing down its capital. This growing pressure on ecosystems is causing habitat destruction or degradation and permanent loss of productivity, threatening both biodiversity and human well-being.
人类不再依靠自然的“利息”生存，而是消耗大自然“本金”。对生态系统持续增长的压力正在 导致动物栖息地的破坏或者恶化，以及生产能力的永久丧失，从而威胁到生物多样性和人类自身的利益。
For how long will this be possible?
这样的状况还能持续多久？
A moderate business-as-usual scenario, based on United Nations projections showing slow, steady growth of economies and populations, suggests that by midcentury, humanity’s demand on nature will be twice the biosphere’s productive capacity. At this level of ecological deficit, exhaustion of ecological assets and large-scale ecosystem collapse will become real.
以联合国所做的经济和人口缓慢持续增长的预期为基础，一份温和折衷、一切照旧的未来情 景预测显示，到本世纪中叶，人类对自然的需求将达到生物圈自身生产能力的两倍。在这样的生态 赤字之下，生态资源的枯竭和大规模的生态系统崩溃将会爆发。
Moving towards sustainability depends on significant action now. Population size changes slowly, and human-made capital—homes, cars, roads, factories, or power plants—can last for many decades. This implies that policy and investment decisions made today will continue to determine our resource demand throughout much of the 21st century.
向可持续发展的转变需要立即采取显著的行动。人口数量变化缓慢，而人类创造的资本—— 如住宅、汽车、道路、工厂或发电站等——也会存在几十年的时间。这意味着，今天所作的政策和投 资决策将确定我们在21世纪的大部分时间里对资源的持续需求。
To manage the transition to sustainability, we need measures that demonstrate where we have been, where we are today, and how far we still have to go. The Living Planet Index and the Ecological Footprint help to establish baselines, set targets, and monitor achievements and failures. Such vital information can stimulate the creativity and innovation required to address humanity’s biggest challenge: how can we live well while sustaining the planet’s other species and living within the capacity of one earth?
为了管理好向可持续发展的转变，我们需要一些能够告之我们过去到什么程度、今天到什么 程度以及我们还要走多远的测量数据。“地球生命力指数”和“生态足迹”能帮助我们建立基准线， 设定目标，并监测所取得的成绩和失败。这些重要信息能激励我们的创造性和革新能力，以便应对 人类最大的挑战:我们如何能在一个地球的承载力范围内，既生活舒适、又能维持地球上的其他生 物的生存？