About one-fifth of species of plants and animals in Europe face the risk of extinction, according to a study published in the scientific journal PLOS. The authors believe agricultural land use poses a significant threat to these species.
Biodiversity is declining in the world, and every day new species are facing extinction. Many organisations aim to reduce this loss, but their success relies on a comprehensive understanding of threats to different species in different locations.
To further our understanding about species in Europe, a team of researchers from multiple European universities and organisations analysed records for almost 15,000 species of European plants and animals listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. These species represent about 10% of all animals and plants found on land or in freshwater or marine environments in Europe. The analysis revealed that about 19% percent of the 14,669 species face the threat of extinction, including 27% of plants, 24% of invertebrates, and 18% of vertebrates.
Conservation efforts tend to focus on vertebrates, but this analysis shows that the loss of invertebrates is worrying and exceeds the latest estimates from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
The results also identify major threats to biodiversity, including land use for agriculture which results in loss of habitat, overexploitation of resources and pollution, to name just a few. The authors suggest these results should serve as a baseline to measure future progress to stop biodiversity loss and call for further action and investment. It’s important to note that biodiversity is essential for food security, wealth generation, and the future well-being of people living in Europe.
“This comprehensive analysis of 14,669 continental Red List assessments for European animal and plant species suggests that 2 million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. This result doubles the latest IPBES assumption of 1 million threatened species,” concluded the authors.
Hochkirch A, Bilz M, Ferreira CC, Danielczak A, Allen D, Nieto A, et al. (2023) A multi-taxon analysis of European Red Lists reveals major threats to biodiversity. PLoS ONE 18(11): e0293083. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293083