Two million animal and plant species endangered

The international researchers included all 14,669 animal and plant species that were on the Red List for Europe at the end of 2020. That is ten percent of the species on the continent. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) places the species whose population has been analyzed on this list. Many are at little or no risk, but others are threatened with extinction or have even become extinct.

19 percent of species are threatened with extinction
The team led by first author Axel Hochkirch from the National Museum of Natural History Luxembourg and the University of Trier analyzed all known vertebrate species (amphibians, birds, fish, reptiles and mammals) in Europe, as well as important groups of invertebrates such as butterflies and bees and various plant species. 2,839 of the 14,669 species examined by the team, a total of about 19 percent, are threatened with extinction in Europe. 125 animal and plant species are already considered extinct, regionally extinct or possibly extinct.

The study describes a particular threat to plants native to Europe: approximately 27 percent are threatened with extinction. The numbers are also high among animal species: 24 percent of invertebrates and 18 percent of vertebrates are affected. According to the research team, this pattern is remarkable given that much more attention is being paid to vertebrates. “One of the most important findings is that the number of endangered species does not differ significantly between the different species groups,” Hochkirch said.

“The situation is dramatic”
Other experts consider the current data to be highly relevant and credible. Matthias Glaubrecht, professor of biodiversity at the University of Hamburg, explained: “The new research shows much more clearly and comprehensively than before that significantly more species are threatened with extinction. Europe is one of those regions for which we still have the best data. If the situation here is so dramatic, it means that the biodiversity crisis is very likely to be even more explosive in other, much more species-rich regions – especially in under-explored tropical regions such as Asia and Africa.

Using new datasets, the team also calculated the number of animal, plant and fungal species threatened with extinction worldwide: at two million, the number is twice as high as in the most recent IPBES report from 2019. At the time, IPBES came to the conclusion that one million of the estimated eight million species are endangered. The doubling to two million endangered species within a few years can be justified with new and more accurate information, explains Josef Settele, co-author of the latest IPBES report: “The studies ultimately build on each other and therefore also reflect progress in knowledge. . The 2019 IPBES report also noted a data gap, which we are getting closer to closing.”

Researchers are struggling with data gaps
The data situation remains a problem, the study authors write: “Our analysis shows some major gaps in knowledge and the associated need for research.” Many species, especially among invertebrates, have not yet been described. An exact assessment of the condition is often difficult: if there are very few specimens left in a region, they can hardly be found in field studies. Glaubrecht also confirms this: “We know too little about all these species to have noticed their disappearance for a long time. There are species that we are destroying faster than we can study them.”

There are many causes for species extinction
The causes of species extinction are diverse; the team sees the biggest threat as the intensive economic use of land areas and seas, leading to habitat loss. “While the finding that change in agricultural land use is a major threat has been made many times, our analysis is the most comprehensive and definitive to date and confirms the magnitude of this threat on a continental scale,” the authors said. The overuse of biological resources and extreme weather events due to climate change also pose a huge threat to biodiversity.

But the researchers also see reason for hope: new species settlements and special protection can help preserve biodiversity. “It is important to take measures to protect endangered species. These have already had great success in vertebrates, evidenced by the spread of previously endangered species such as black storks, white-tailed eagles, peregrine falcons, eagle owls and otters,” said Hochkirch. “It is important to implement the necessary conservation measures in a timely manner. We already have enough evidence to take action; what we are missing is action.”