Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Natural habitats across Europe declining

Luke Walsh in Edie.net: Wetlands, coastal areas and grasslands are in decline across Europe due to increased levels of tourism and climate change. This according to the European Commission's most comprehensive report into biodiversity, following its announcement earlier this year that Europe will miss its 2010 target to protect biodiversity.

The report, released today 14 July, says the overall status of grassland, wetland and coastal habitat types across Europe is 'particularly poor'. Shifts towards more intensive agriculture, abandonment of land and poor management are all factors listed in the document, which covers the period between 2001 to 2006.

Wetlands are being converted to other uses, and are also suffering the effects of climate change, as are habitats associated with mountain glaciers, while coastal habitats are under increasing pressure from tourism….

Salt evaporation pond, Aigues-Mortes, Camargue, France, shot by Fritz Geller-Grimm, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License

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