General

The Caribbean's island geography makes it a highly biodiverse region. It is home to approximately 6,500 plant, 150 bird, 470 reptile, 40 mammal, 170 amphibian and 65 fish species not found anywhere else in the world. The global wildlife trafficking crisis threatens many of these species, which are used, often illegally, as pets, medicine, food, jewellery, clothing, souvenirs and household decorations.

In her recent Environmental Protection Report entitled Small Steps Forward, the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dianne Saxe, called upon the government to put words into action to monitor biodiversity, combat wildlife declines, control invasive species, and follow through on better forest fire management. The large-scale loss of biodiversity is a crisis in Ontario and around the world. Ontario's most "at risk" species are snakes, turtles and freshwater mussels. However, many freshwater fishes, birds and mammals are also experiencing alarming declines.

Landet das Herbizid Glyphosat in Gewässern, verändert sich laut Wiener Forschern die Algenzusammensetzung. Bei niedrigen Wassertemperaturen kann es zudem zu Fehlbildungen beim Erdkröten-Nachwuchs kommen. Obwohl der Wirkstoff speziell auf Pflanzen abzielt, wurden in der Vergangenheit auch Nebenwirkungen auf sogenannte Nicht-Zielorganismen beschrieben. So hat beispielsweise die Forschungsgruppe um Johann Zaller vom Institut für Zoologie der Universität für Bodenkultur (Boku) in Wien im Fachjournal „Scientific Reports“ über reduzierten Nachwuchs bei Regenwürmern berichtet.

Amphibians and reptiles are amazing creatures with clever adaptations that have allowed them to brave the millennia. Consider the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata)’s scaly hind toes, which resemble snowshoes and keep the lizard from sinking into sand as it sprints away from predators; or the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)’s heat-sensing pit organ, which helps it find the small, warm-blooded prey on which it feeds. Such diversity is vital to functioning ecosystems and enriches humankind’s enjoyment of the natural world.

Der Rückgang der Biodiversität hält an. Im Schnitt gingen die Bestände der rund 3700 erfassten Wirbeltierarten seit 1970 weltweit um über die Hälfte zurück. Süsswasserfische oder Amphibien gehören mit über 80 Prozent Rückgang zu den grössten Verlierern. Davon ist auch die Schweiz betroffen.

Ontario environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe cites a “large-scale loss of biodiversity,” calling it a “crisis in our province and around the world” — a situation she called a “terrible tragedy.” Ontario’s environmental watchdog has warned the government that it needs to do more to conserve the province’s biodiversity. Saxe says the Liberals need to take action to: combat wildlife declines, control invasive species, better monitor biodiversity, and implement better forest fire management, by letting more fires burn to enhance wildlife habitat.

Habitat loss and exposure to pesticides are likely primary factors contributing to amphibian decline in agricultural landscapes. We examined the presence of pesticides and nutrients in water and sediment as indicators of habitat quality and assessed the bioaccumulation of pesticides in the tissue of two native amphibian species Pseudacris maculata (chorus frogs) and Lithobates pipiens (leopard frogs) at six wetlands (3 restored and 3 reference) in Iowa, USA. Concentrations of the pesticides frequently detected in water and sediment samples were not different between wetland types.

Global wildlife populations are set to have fallen by more than two thirds on 1970 levels by the end of the decade, conservationists warn. Assessment of 14,152 populations of 3,706 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles from around the world reveals a 58% fall between 1970 and 2012 - with no sign the average 2% drop in numbers each year will slow.