WWF draws mixed conclusions – hope for Swiss tree frog
Published: Wednesday, Dec 27th 2023, 06:01
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With regard to species conservation, the WWF environmental foundation has drawn a mixed balance of the year that is drawing to a close. The environmental foundation lists negative and positive developments.
According to the WWF, the tree frog and the red deer were among the winners in this country. The tree frog, which was in danger of disappearing in 2005, is now "only" considered endangered. The red deer, which was wiped out in Switzerland in 1850, now numbers around 40,000 again, and the reintroduction of the wolf has also given them a natural enemy that regulates the population - and thus the health of the forests. According to the environmental foundation, the planned wolf culls are now jeopardizing this again.
The losers in this country included the Roi du Doubs, according to WWF. "The fish, which is around 20 centimetres long, is a rarity," it said in the press release. "During this year's stock check, only one female was found in Switzerland." This is now in an aquarium in Lausanne. The smooth snake is also acutely endangered. Of the 16 reptile species in Switzerland, more than 80 percent are on the red list.
Fewer lions and river dolphins
According to WWF, lions in Africa, Humboldt penguins, river dolphins in the Amazon and amphibians are among the losers worldwide. Among amphibians, salamanders are the most endangered group. The penguins in Chile were particularly hard hit by the rampant bird flu, while the dolphins were probably affected by water temperatures of over 39 degrees at times: "Ten percent of the river dolphin population in Lago Tefé died in just one week," it said. The problem there: a drought of the century.
According to the WWF, these loser species are representative of thousands of other endangered species. The International Red List now lists more than 44,000 animal, plant and fungal species as threatened.
More tigers and rhinos
In its report, the WWF names India's tigers, Africa's rhinos and bison in the Caucasus as winners. A year ago, white rhinos were still listed as losers, but now there is talk of an increase in the number of these animals for the first time after ten years of decline. The number of tigers in some Asian countries has also seen a "pleasing increase", according to the report. In India, there are particularly high numbers with more than 3,600 specimens.
According to the foundation, the main causes of the declining numbers of many species are habitat destruction, poaching, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution and the climate crisis. "The key factors fueling the current species extinction are man-made, be it through habitat loss, climate warming, overfishing or poaching. We humans are both perpetrators and victims," René Kaspar, International Species Conservation Officer at WWF Switzerland, is quoted as saying.
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