Amphibia in danger: Heat waves threaten our salamander!

Amphibia in danger: Heat waves threaten our salamander!

amphibians worldwide are under considerable pressure, since around 41 percent of all known species are threatened with extinction. Extreme weather events, such as heat waves and droughts, significantly tighten their precarious Situation. These problems affect animals in Europe, the Amazon area and Madagascar, as the Frankfurt research team reports in the specialist journal "Conservation Biology" vienna.at .

In Central Europe, the real salamander are particularly at risk, with half of the domestic species increasingly exposed to droughts. These salamanders include the fire salamander, the alpine salamander and the pond should. The researchers analyzed global weather data over a period of 40 years in connection with the geographical distribution of over 7,000 types of amphibians and found that the threat status has been noticeably deteriorated in regions since 2004.

diverse threats to amphibian types

The causes of the decline in amphibian populations are diverse. The main reasons are climatic changes, the loss of habitats, diseases and pollution. Certainly, climate change is a threat to 39 percent of the types of amphibians, which have been more at risk since 2004. In the past 20 years, 75 percent of the types of amphibians and over 66 percent of the reptile species in Germany have received existence science.de .

The World Natural Protection Union (IUCN) found in a study that focused on 8011 types of amphibians that 2286 other species have been recorded since the first global amphibian assessment in 2004. The loss of natural habitats due to human activities is the greatest threat to the variety of amphibians. Protective measures are crucial to maintain these types and protect their habitats.

Current situation in Germany

Latest red lists of the amphibians and reptiles in Germany, which were published by the Federal Nature Conservation and the Red List Center, show that every second of the 20 types of amphibians examined in Germany are at risk. The situation has deteriorated for most species in the past two decades. With a dramatic inventory of amphibious species, Germany has an increased responsibility for nine amphibian and seven reptiles rote-list-kenter.de .