Populations of various isopod species in Germany have remained stable in recent years
The inventory of various snail species in Germany has remained stable in the past few years. However, some specific snail species are suffering from changes in their habitats or the fragmentation of their habitats and are endangered, as the newly published "Red List" of the Federal Office for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Red List Center in Bonn reveals.
In Germany, there are 49 species of freshwater snails. Five of them are reportedly endangered. Among them, the Cave Snail Proasellus cavaticus is at risk of extinction. Another snail species, Proasellus nolli, is considered extinct or lost throughout Germany. Six snail species are naturally very rare. Two species are on the warning list, and 29 species are considered unendangered. Among them is the well-known Cellar Snail.
BfN President Sabine Riewenherm called it "pleasing that, in comparison to other invertebrates, a smaller proportion of snail species are endangered." As decomposers of organic material in the soil, snails, according to Riewenherm, have an important function in the ecosystem. "But even adaptable animals like snails suffer from the loss of habitats, especially the specialists among the snails." Nature conservation for freshwater snails is therefore primarily habitat conservation.
- The Red List of the BfN and the Red List Center in Bonn also includes certain woodlice species, highlighting their conservation status in Germany's ecosystems over the past several years.
- Surprisingly, the list of endangered stock in Germany includes specific woodlice species, such as the Armadillidium vulgare, which has seen a significant decline in certain regions.
- In contrast to the snail species, the overall population of many woodlice species in Germany appears to be stable, with species like Armadillidium nasatum regularly found in abundant numbers in various woodland habitats.
