Brussels, 22/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - Although 2010 had been proclaimed the International Year for Biodiversity, biodiversity is going from bad to worse in the European Union and throughout the world. The last Red List of threatened species in the EU, drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UICN) and published on 22 November, highlights the alarming decline in Europe's natural heritage. The assessment reveals that 44% of all freshwater molluscs, 37% of freshwater fish, 23% of amphibians, 20% of a selection of terrestrial molluscs, 19% of reptiles, 15% of mammals and of dragonflies, 13% of birds, 11% of a selection of saproxylic beetles, 9% of butterflies and 467 vascular plant species are now under threat. Some wild or cultivated species of these plants are essential for food safety. However, all is not gloom and doom as many protected species presented in the pan-European network of protected natural habitats, Natura 2000, have a better chance of survival. Such is the case of a plant endemic to Corsica, the Centranthys trinervis, which has been downlisted from “critically endangered” to “endangered” due to strict protection of its single known site.
“The well-being of people in Europe and all over the world depends on goods and services that nature provides. If we don't address the reasons behind this decline and act urgently to stop it, we could pay a very heavy price indeed”, warned Janez Potocnik, European Environment Commissioner. Annabelle Cuttelod, who coordinates the UICN European Red List, drove the matter home, saying: “The figures confirm the worrying condition of European molluscs. When combined with the high level of threats faced by freshwater fishes and amphibians, we can see that the European freshwater ecosystems are really under serious threats that require urgent conservation action”.
Freshwater molluscs are the most threatened group assessed. The Margaritifera auricularia, a species of freshwater mussel once widespread, is now restricted to a handful of rivers in France and Spain. Currently listed as “critically endangered”, it was considered to be nearly extinct in the 1980s.
Freshwater fish species are also threatened under the combined effect of many factors such as pollution, overfishing, the loss of habitat and the introduction of alien species.
Among the vascular plants threatened, there is the critically endangered Beta patula, an important gene source for enhancing virus resistance. Other crops are also under alarming threat such as sugar beet, wheat, oats and lettuce.
The European Red List, compiled using the same criteria as the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species but limited to Europe - is a review of the conservation status of around 6,000 European species. It identifies species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level so that conservation action can be taken to improve their status. (AN/transl.jl)