Focus On Planet Earth - europe BIODIVERSITY.

europe ECOSYSTEMS BIODIVERSITY

Europe is estimated to have more than 2,500 habitat types, which are home to some 215,000 species, more than 90 per cent of which are invertebrates (EEA, 1995a). Many of these species are currently threatened by extinction: 52 per cent of fish are under threat, 45 per cent of reptiles, 42 per cent of mammals, 30 per cent of amphibians, and 15 per cent of birds (EEA, 1995a). Of Europe s 12,500 species of higher plants, 21 per cent are threatened, although only 27 species are known to have become extinct (EEA, 1995a). The countries with the highest percentage of threatened plant species are Slovakia (36 per cent), the Netherlands (35 per cent), and Romania (at least 30 per cent) (EEA, 1995a). In comparison with the rest of the world, the total number of species in Europe is relatively small but the percentage of threatened species is large (EEA, 1995a).

Natural ecosystems, which sustain a high proportion of plant and animal species, are best preserved in the extremities of the region-the far North, parts of eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin. This latter area boasts the highest species diversity in the region, whereas eastern Europe has particularly high species endemism. Natural ecosystems are sparse and fragmented in western and central Europe, which are also the areas with the highest percentages of threatened species (EEA, 1995a).

Every country in Europe has passed legislation to protect sites for nature conservation, though some Mediterranean and CEE countries have lagged behind in this respect. The Russian Federation alone has more than 65 million hectares of national parks and protected areas (IUCN, 1994). Figure 2.10 shows the distribution of protected areas in Europe. The total extent of these protected areas has increased rapidly: two thirds of the more than 40,000 sites have been designated since the Stockholm Conference in 1972, and 10 million hectares have been added since 1982 (EEA, 1995a).

As elsewhere, forests are an important reservoir of biodiversity and play a central role in wildlife conservation. Many countries now protect part of their natural forest primarily for this purpose (EEA, 1995a). Slovenia, for example, has established a network of natural forest reserves, some of which have remained undisturbed for more than 100 years and introduced a system of unique-habitat "eco-cells" to protect particular species (A. Velkavrh, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Slovenia, personal communication, July 1996).

Unfortunately, the designation of protected areas does not automatically guarantee their success; overall in Europe, management of protected areas is considered to be currently inadequate to retain the integrity of the ecosystems that they represent (EEA, 1995a). It is interesting to note the unexpected side effect of the cold war in this respect, where nature flourished in the closed areas on the former East-West border (UNEP, 1996).

Coastal and marine ecosystems are habitats for an enormous number and range of species, including millions of birds. Many of Europe s remaining marine and coastal sites of ecological importance have no protected status; of 135 sites evaluated for the Dobríš Assessment, nearly half were considered under threat from coastline development (EEA, 1995a). In France, for instance, natural coastal areas are being lost at a rate of 1 per cent a year; 15 per cent have disappeared since 1976, and 90 per cent of the French Riviera is now developed (EEA, 1995a).

Managed ecosystems also contain an important cross-section of species and landscape types. Intensive, monocultural forestry and agricultural practices have been detrimental to both types of biodiversity, although for the most part forestry now contributes to preserving biodiversity and habitats (EEA, 1995a).

Depending on the geographical location, Europe s biodiversity is under pressure from mass tourism (affecting coasts and mountains), intensification of agriculture (grasslands and wetlands), deteriorating water quality (freshwater and coastal ecosystems), forest management geared towards economic gains (forests), and industrial, transport, and energy policies (coasts, major rivers, and mountains) (EEA, 1995a).

United Nations Environment Programme