Global wildlife populations have halved in just 40 years, the London Zoological Society (ZSL) said in its new report, the Living Planet Index, on Tuesday.

Wildlife's continued decline highlights the urgent need for sustainable solutions to humanity's increasing demand on our natural resources, it said.

Populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by an average of 52 percent. Freshwater species populations have suffered a 76 percent decline, an average loss almost double that of land and marine species, according to the report.

The report shows that the biggest recorded threat to biodiversity comes from the combined impacts of habitat loss and degradation, driven by unsustainable human consumption. The report notes that the impacts of climate change are becoming of increasing concern.

The Living Planet Report 2014 is the tenth edition of WWF's biennial flagship publication. The report uses the Living Planet Index -- a database maintained by the Zoological Society of London which tracks over 10,000 vertebrate species populations from 1970 to 2010. The index reveals a continued decline in these populations and this global trend is not slowing down.

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