ROME – Up to 175 species and 10 natural habitats have disappeared from Italy’s landscape while another 161 animal species and 194 plant specimens risk extinction. Those are the harsh numbers compiled in a report by the Environment Ministry and the National Federation of Parks (Federparchi) as part of a wider project championed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Among the species at risk are several of the lake and river fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and sea fish, as well as flora, the Environmental Ministry said.
“The geographic, climatic, and historical characteristics of Italy have permitted the instatement and permanence of a variegated and rich biodiversity over time,” said Giampiero Sammuri, president of Federparchi. “We have the responsibility of monitoring and safeguarding this natural capital from the many threats it comes up against”.
The figures have drawn particular alarm cause they come from a country that counts on a massive and well-distributed designation of protected areas.
In Italy there are over 100 “Oasis” area managed by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) accounting for more than 30,000 hectares of land.
The organization says the Oasis sites have become one of its main tools for protecting biodiversity and achieving sustainable development.
Such work becomes even more critical, according to studies such as the latter which have shown that habitat and natural species are under attack by everything from climate change to habitat destruction.
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