Species Conservation 2025: Winners, Losers and the Call to Action!

Species Conservation 2025: Winners, Losers and the Call to Action!

On December 28, 2025, WWF Austria will draw a mixed conclusion in global species protection and identify the winners and losers of the animal kingdom in 2025. There are positive things, for example, for the green sea turtle, koalas in Australia and snow leopards in Nepal, while Arctic seals, many bird species and rhinos in Africa continue to be under great pressure. The challenges are escalating, particularly in Europe: the protection status for wolves has weakened, and native amphibians and bird species are recording an alarming decline.

The WWF names the main causes of the dramatic extinction of species. These include habitat destruction, overexploitation, poaching, environmental pollution and especially the climate crisis. According to a new report from WWF, Earth's biodiversity continues to decline, with human activities identified as the main culprit. Over the past 50 years, vertebrate populations worldwide have declined by an average of 73 percent, with a particularly steep decline of 85 percent in freshwater ecosystems. This is particularly happening in regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, where the decline reaches 95 percent.

Positive developments and setbacks

The list of 2025 winning species includes:

• Grüne Meeresschildkröte: Herabstufung von „stark gefährdet“ auf „nicht gefährdet“; Bestand um 28% gestiegen.
• Haie und Rochen: Internationale Handelsverbote beschlossen.
• Koalas: Einrichtung des Great Koala National Park in Australien.
• Schneeleoparden: Erste nationale Bestandsaufnahme in Nepal zeigt knapp 400 Tiere.
• Wisente: Erfolgreiche Wiederansiedelung in Rumänien.
• Flussdelfine: Hinweise auf leichte Erholung in Peru.
• Seeadler: Population in Österreich auf rund 90 Paare angewachsen.
• Störe: Erfolgreiche Aussetzung von Sterlet-Jungfischen in Österreich.

In contrast to this are the loser types, including:

• Arktische Robben: Drei Arten hochgestuft; Hauptursache ist der Verlust von Meereis.
• 61% aller Vogelarten weltweit verzeichnen einen Bestandsrückgang.
• Korallen: Massive Korallenbleichen haben einen kritischen Schwellenwert für Warmwasser-Korallen erreicht.
• Nashörner: Mit lediglich 22.540 gezählten Tieren in Afrika sind die Bestände gefährdet.
• Der Wolf leidet unter einem geschwächten Schutzstatus in Europa, und bereits jeder fünfte Wolf in Österreich wurde getötet.
• Moorfro sch: Die Bestände in Österreich sind stark zurückgegangen und erfordern dringenden Handlungsbedarf.

Urgent need for action

The WWF is calling on politicians to establish more and better organized protected areas both on land and in the sea. Ecological migration corridors and the renaturation of rivers, floodplains, forests and wetlands must also be promoted. In addition, effective climate protection is essential because the international implementation and financing of the International Agreement on Nature is progressing too slowly.

Intact ecosystems are important for our health, food supply and access to clean water. The “double crisis” of biodiversity loss and climate crisis endangers the stability of entire ecosystems and shows that the next five years are crucial for the preservation of biological diversity. Protecting biodiversity can also contribute effectively to climate protection. Measures such as reforestation and the renaturation of moors can not only bind carbon, but also create vital habitats for many animal and plant species.

The WWF emphasizes that despite the worrying developments in species protection, positive news such as the return of the Eurasian beaver and growing populations of African mountain gorillas also give hope. However, urgent action remains to stop the decline in biodiversity and combat the negative effects of the climate crisis.

For more information visit the website of WWF Austria, daily news and myclimate.