Animals - WWF: Extinction wave continued to roll practically unabated in 2023
With regard to species conservation, the WWF environmental foundation has drawn a mixed picture of the year that is drawing to a close. "The biggest extinction wave since the end of the dinosaur era continued to roll over our natural world virtually unchecked in 2023," said Kathrin Samson, Head of Nature Conservation at the organization in Germany, according to a press release. The environmental foundation lists negative and positive developments.
The losers of the year in the animal kingdom include lions in Africa, Humboldt penguins, river dolphins in the Amazon and amphibians worldwide. Among amphibians, salamanders are the most endangered group. The penguins in Chile were particularly affected 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 (World Wide Fund For Nature), 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 endangered.
Good news from the Indian tiger
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". In India, there are particularly high numbers with more than 3,600 specimens.
There are also examples on our doorstep in Germany: the WWF sees otters in Bavaria as the winners. The Bavarian Administrative Court recently ruled that these strictly protected animals may not be killed in exceptional cases for the time being.
According to the foundation, the main causes of the declining numbers of many species are habitat destruction, poaching, overuse, invasive species, environmental pollution and the climate crisis. "Humans have caused the extinction of species. It is therefore our responsibility to end the crisis," said Samson according to the WWF press release.
Read also:
- This will change in December
- Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route
- Houthi rebels want to launch further attacks despite international coalition
- USA forms military coalition against Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea
Source: www.stern.de
