Wild plants and animals are not only threatened with extinction in tropical forests or frozen polar regions. Unfortunately, this danger has also knocked on the door of central Europe. The situation is serious, says director-general of the Schenkenberg Biodiversity Research Institute, Clement Tockner, speaking to the German News Agency (dpa). “We don’t have much time for countermeasures.” According to the Federal Office for Nature Conservation (BfN), there are more than 71,500 species of animals, plants and fungi in Germany. About 9,000 of them are at risk of extinction.

On the occasion of the 50th World Wildlife Day, Tockner points out that this figure is only for known species. About a third of the species found in Germany have yet to be discovered. “Species disappear before we even discover them (..) once lost…always lost” declares the ecologist. “We are experiencing the greatest extinction of species since the end of the dinosaurs,” says Albert Wotke, WWF’s program director for nature conservation in Germany. Unless something changes, a million species worldwide could become extinct by the end of the century.

The national “red list” of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) records the degree of danger for more than 30,000 species in Germany. Five endangered and declining species are: The European hamster. The cute rodent with the famous cheeks is threatened with extinction due to the intensive use of agricultural land, which has resulted in a drastic reduction of the habitats and therefore the population. According to estimates by the Nature Conservation Union (Nabu), there are only 10,000 to 50,000 hamsters left in Germany today.

A cuckoo does not bring spring after all

According to WWF, due to the climate crisis, the parasitic breeding behavior of the cuckoo is threatened. Spring is coming earlier and earlier in the country so when the cuckoo returns from Africa many birds are already busy feeding their young. So the bird with its impressive call does not breed as it finds fewer nests to lay its eggs. In Germany it is an endangered species.

The porpoise is the only native whale in Germany and is highly endangered. Greenpeace estimates that about 20,000 animals of the species live in the North Sea and in the Baltic only 500. This species is often a bycatch in fishing nets and is very sensitive to underwater noise caused by large ships according to the German Wildlife Foundation. This can damage their hearing and cause them to lose their orientation.

Bumblebees, from the bee family, belong to the most important pollinators. In addition to wild plants, they fertilize, tomatoes, eggplants and blueberries for example. According to the WWF there are 250 species worldwide. Due to global warming and the destruction of their habitats, bumblebees are threatened in several ways. In Germany where the “common” bee was widespread, it is now considered an endangered species.

Most species of the beautiful blue forget-me-not flower are not threatened. However, this particular species, which only grows in Lake Constance and Lake Starnberg, is threatened with extinction. The habitat of the rare plant is changing significantly and becoming smaller and smaller due to cultivation on the banks of the river.

Climate crisis, the number one factor in species extinction

According to the WWF, the average temperature of the earth’s surface has risen about one degree Celsius since the start of the industrial revolution. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that global warming is having an even more drastic effect on terrestrial and marine ecosystems than previously thought. Added to this is the human exploitation of the habitats belonging to many species.

However, there is still hope. “Our ecosystems are not exactly species-rich, but they are very strong,” emphasizes Frankfurt Zoo CEO Christoph Schenk. The protection of some species to date is successful. At the time of the East German state (1949-1990) there were about 60 pairs of sea eagles, while according to the Ministry of the Environment there are 805 pairs living in Germany today. Historic agreement on biodiversity

At the Montreal Conference on Biodiversity (COP 15), conservationists and researchers appeared cautiously optimistic. Participants reached a historic agreement to protect at least 30% of land and oceans by 2030 to ensure biodiversity.