English

Dragonflies are colourful, relatively large, and well-known insects. Their larvae live in freshwater habitats such as lakes, bogs, seepages, rivers and springs. Dragonflies occur almost everywhere in Europe, but the highest species diversity is found in the southern half, with the highest numbers in parts of southern France, the footland of the Alps and parts of the Balkan Peninsula. Europe holds 138 species, only three of which are not found in the 27 member states of the EU. Approximately one out of seven (15%) European dragonflies are threatened in Europe, with a similar proportion being threatened at the EU level. An additional 11% are considered Near Threatened. About a quarter (24%) of the European dragonflies have declining populations, ten percent are increasing and roughly half of the species are stable. For the remaining 12%, the available information is too limited to define any population trends.

Bats are the world's only true flying mammals and one of the most diverse mammal groups on Earth. There are 16 recognised species of bats breeding in the UK. The Pipistrelles are Britain's smallest bats. Pipistrelles are the most common bats in towns and suburbs. Pipistrelles catch their food in flight and usually eat while on the wing. They mainly eat flies such as Midges and Caddis flies. They will also take Mosquitoes, Gnats, Mayflies, Lacewings and occasionally small Moths. Pipistrelles are thought to have undergone a significant decline in numbers. Estimates suggest a population decline of approximately 70% between 1978 and 1993. The increased use of insecticides has reduced the amount of insect prey available to Pipistrelles during their active season.

The appropriately named fungus Geomyces destructans is the cause of deadly white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, according to research published in the journal Nature. The study by U.S. Geological Survey scientists and partners, conducted at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisc., provides the first direct evidence that the fungus G. destructans causes WNS, a rapidly spreading disease in North American bats. U.S. bat populations have been declining at an alarming rate since 2006, when white-nose syndrome first appeared in New York State. Since then, the fungus G. destructans has spread southward and westward and has now been found in 16 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Bat declines in the Northeast, the most severely affected region in the U.S., thus far have exceeded 80 percent.

"Citizen birder" Bob Janssen, 79, has been watching and listing birds for more than six decades. He has compiled more than 175,000 records of his observations in the state's 87 counties, and he has spent the past two years transferring them to spreadsheets for the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union, a state birding club. He is troubled by the declining populations of many species. What he sees, or, in some cases doesn't see, alarms him. Janssen said he has seen a "tremendous decline" in many of their populations, particularly in the 35 warbler species that nest in or migrate through the state. His conclusions are similar to those of thousands of other birders: Many species of both common and uncommon birds in North America are in serious trouble.

We reviewed the historic and present distribution of Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in Canada and found that the species has been eliminated from approximately 90% of its estimated historic distribution. Sage-grouse have been extirpated from British Columbia and reduced to remnant populations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Estimates of the size of the population decline in Canada range from 66 to 92% over the last 30 years based on currently occupied habitat. The number of active lek sites has continued to decline, suggesting that some habitats have become unsuitable to support viable sage-grouse populations. Number of yearling males recruiting to leks each spring has been low, suggesting that production and overwinter survival of young are the major problems related to the decline. Low chick survival rate, with only 18% surviving to 50 days of age, is the most likely parameter contributing to the population decline.

A dozen environmental groups are threatening the federal government with legal action unless it overrules two provinces and takes emergency steps to save sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). They say the distinctive bird could be gone from Alberta within a year if nothing is done quickly. The threat comes in a letter sent Wednesday to federal Environment Minister Peter Kent, in which the groups say Canadian law requires Ottawa to preserve threatened species if provincial governments aren't doing the job. Scientists say a species that numbered 20,000 a few years ago across the southern prairies is down to 13 male birds in Alberta and 43 in Saskatchewan. "The probability of them being around in the next couple years is slim," said biologist Mark Boyce of the University of Alberta. "They've just gone down, down, down."