WWF Report on Wildlife in 2009

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29.12.2009

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2009 not a good year for wildlife preservation, WWF says

 

While some species are seeing a chance of new beginnings, the World Wide

Fund for Nature is giving a poor report card on halting biodiversity loss

for 2009.

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Among the world's endangered species, tigers, rhinoceroses, and polar bears

had the worst year in 2009 according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

However, the Elbe beaver, lynx and Amur leopard may have a slightly more

promising future, the WWF said in Frankfurt on Tuesday. The organization

criticized the progressive destruction of animal habitats by a combined

process of climate change, increased poaching and over-exploitation by

humans.

 

" There were a few silver linings, but the mass extinction of animals and

plants persisted unabated in 2009, " said Chris Dickinson, head of species

conservation at WWF Germany.

 

As a result, he said, the federal government had missed its target of

halting biodiversity loss by 2010.

 

According to WWF estimates, only about 3,200 tigers still exist in the wild

worldwide, and the South China tiger might even be extinct thanks to

poaching and the demand for illegal tiger products in traditional Asian

medicine.

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Gone forever

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It is too late, according to the WWF, for the Kihansi spray toad in Tanzania

which became extinct after a new dam destroyed its habitat and a fungus

wiped out the rest of the species. Also, approximately 1,900 of a total of

about 6,300 different species of amphibians have been classified as highly

endangered.

 

At particular risk, according to the WWF, are polar bears. Large areas of

the Arctic will be polar bear-free by 2050. Climate change is altering the

ecosystem of polar bears at such a rapid pace that the animals cannot adapt

quickly enough, the organization said.

 

Also in dire peril are the Annamese rhinos in Vietnam: Only eight animals

still exist, the WWF believes. And these are acutely threatened by new roads

near the Cat Tien National Park.

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Silver lining

*In German forests, however, there has been some good news. The lynx has

carved out new habitats in the Bavarian Forest and the Harz region after 100

years of absence, the WWF says.

 

In addition, the Elbe beaver found a home in the wetlands along the banks of

the Elbe river, thanks to one of the largest dike-building projects in

Europe. The project managed to increase the beaver's habitat in the wetlands

along the river while also reducing the risk of flooding for residents in

the area thanks to the widened wetland zone.

 

The third partial success story this year was the Amur leopard, which is

native to eastern Russia. There are an estimated 35 of the big cats in the

wild. This year rangers spotted a female with three pups eating their supper

in a quarry.

 

sjt/dpa/AFP

Editor: Susan Houlton