[wildtrade] 2009 not a good year for wildlife preservation, WWF says

[Chris Shepherd]

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29.12.2009 

2009 not a good year for wildlife preservation, WWF says 

A tiger cub

While some species are seeing a chance of new beginnings, the World Wide
Fund for Nature is giving a poor report card on halting biodiversity loss
for 2009.

Among the world's endangered species, tigers, rhinoceroses, and polar bears
had the worst year in 2009 according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
However, the Elbe beaver, lynx and Amur leopard may have a slightly more
promising future, the WWF said in Frankfurt on Tuesday. The organization
criticized the progressive destruction of animal habitats by a combined
process of climate change, increased poaching and over-exploitation by
humans.

"There were a few silver linings, but the mass extinction of animals and
plants persisted unabated in 2009," said Chris Dickinson, head of species
conservation at WWF Germany. 

As a result, he said, the federal government had missed its target of
halting biodiversity loss by 2010. 

According to WWF estimates, only about 3,200 tigers still exist in the wild
worldwide, and the South China tiger might even be extinct thanks to
poaching and the demand for illegal tiger products in traditional Asian
medicine. 

Gone forever

It is too late, according to the WWF, for the Kihansi spray toad in Tanzania
which became extinct after a new dam destroyed its habitat and a fungus
wiped out the rest of the species. Also, approximately 1,900 of a total of
about 6,300 different species of amphibians have been classified as highly
endangered.

At particular risk, according to the WWF, are polar bears. Large areas of
the Arctic will be polar bear-free by 2050. Climate change is altering the
ecosystem of polar bears at such a rapid pace that the animals cannot adapt
quickly enough, the organization said.

Also in dire peril are the Annamese rhinos in Vietnam: Only eight animals
still exist, the WWF believes. And these are acutely threatened by new roads
near the Cat Tien National Park.

Silver lining

 <http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5068671_ind_1,00.html> A lynx
sits on a hillside in a Bavarian wildlife preserveBildunterschrift:
Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
<http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_lupe/0,,5068671_ind_1,00.html>  Lynxes
are back in the Bavarian Forest after 100 years

In German forests, however, there has been some good news. The lynx has
carved out new habitats in the Bavarian Forest and the Harz region after 100
years of absence, the WWF says.  

In addition, the Elbe beaver found a home in the wetlands along the banks of
the Elbe river, thanks to one of the largest dike-building projects in
Europe. The project managed to increase the beaver's habitat in the wetlands
along the river while also reducing the risk of flooding for residents in
the area thanks to the widened wetland zone.

The third partial success story this year was the Amur leopard, which is
native to eastern Russia. There are an estimated 35 of the big cats in the
wild. This year rangers spotted a female with three pups eating their supper
in a quarry.

sjt/dpa/AFP
Editor: Susan Houlton

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