The ecosystem integrity index: a component indicator in the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework reveals the integrity of terrestrial ecosystems globally

The Ecosystem Integrity Index (EII), developed by UNEP-WCMC and adopted as a Component Indicator for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), provides a simple and robust framework to assess terrestrial ecosystem integrity globally, for use by governments as well as businesses and financial institutions. Being able to flexibly deploy our EII framework will help global to local users to both assess integrity, but also to measure changes due to conservation interventions by government, business and civil society. It is formed of three components (structural, compositional and functional integrity) and provides a continuous measure of ecosystem integrity from fully degraded to fully pristine. Applying the EII framework, we provide trends in ecosystem integrity globally from 2000 to 2020. This analysis shows that approximately one fifth of all terrestrial ecosystems have lost at least half of their ecosystem integrity. The greatest losses are seen in regions of the world where human population is dense or where development has been intense, whereas least developed regions have more intact scores. The loss of ecosystem integrity at this scale, and ongoing changes in other regions, is likely to have significant consequences for humanity and all life on Earth.