Sixth mass extinction . An expression that may appear apocalyptic but which, in fact, fully describes what our planet is experiencing. The scientific community has identified five other moments in history in which most living species have disappeared ; the last in order of time dates back to the end of the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago), when the era of the dinosaurs ended. The biodiversity crisis we are witnessing is fully part of this trend, with one difference: the extinction rate of animal and plant species is a thousand times faster than the natural one. We asked Gianluca Catullo , species and habitat manager of WWF Italy, to explain to us what are the root causes of this phenomenon and how it is reflected in our country.

The data shows us that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction. What are the main factors contributing to the loss of biodiversity?

It is us, with our actions. The event that is happening now could have a natural character but it is not so, because the timing is so fast that it has nothing to do with those of the past. The main threat lies in the fact that the human species has entered into competition with natural systems . We need space, land to build, fields to cultivate, pastures to raise cattle. For this, we are eroding natural space with a speed that is unmatched in history. 

The first triggering element is therefore competition , with the resulting degradation of habitats. Then we plundered natural resources : the typical example is the sea, because we fish more and more and fish populations cannot reproduce quickly enough to compensate for what we have stolen.

There are other aspects that have a major impact but are often ignored, such as invasive alien species . When animals enter geographical areas other than those of origin, it may happen that they enter into relationships with other pre-existing species that have not developed defense systems. This can happen because of the commercial and tourist flows favored by globalization, or because of voluntary releases . This is the case of the American pond turtle that was sold in pet stores. Growing up it became very large, so it happened that it was abandoned along the rivers, competing with the native turtle and feeding on algae, plants and animals, to the point of causing its extinction.

Climate change is in the background. For now they have not triggered the extinction of important species, but they are expected to have an impact in the medium to long term because the climate changes the vegetation ; some species will be able to move in altitude, others will disappear. This is aggravated by the fact that our biodiversity is “patchy” , that is, made up of isolated systems (such as parks). We need to improve connectivity to allow species to move.

Cop26 in Glasgow has just closed. Among the various commitments made by the institutions, which ones are capable of having positive consequences on biodiversity?

Certainly the commitment to contain the global average temperature increase within 1.5 degrees centigrade is a good result, because it also means limiting the extent of the upheaval that can affect species and habitats. All those who participated in the COP also emphasized the need to protect, conserve and restore nature and ecosystems . The reference to restoration is very significant because protecting is no longer enough. In short, Cop26 in Glasgow has brought something positive, establishing once and for all which is the path to follow. Then it is clear that we will have to go from saying to doing.

Has there been any progress in Italy in protecting biodiversity?

If we look at Italy from a satellite, in the north we see the Alps and along the whole boot the Apennines which, today, are a green highway. In the 1950s there was not a tree along the Apennines, now they are all covered in woods . This is because the mountains are difficult areas, unsuitable for agriculture and urbanization. Where the man does not have big economic interests, we find a positive situation .

In the 1950s there was a large migration from rural areas to cities. Thus the wolf found enormous spaces available along the Apennines, spaces where the vegetation returned to flourish and at the same time roe deer, deer and wild boar were reintroduced. The wolf is a case study because it is a flexible species that can feed on whatever it finds, from wild animals to fruit and landfill waste. This characteristic, associated with the sudden availability of extended territories and the replenished populations of ungulates, have caused it to expand throughout the Apennines.; and it is a great achievement, given that in the seventies there were barely a hundred of them. For us this is excellent news because predators ensure the balance of the ecosystem.

Another example is the Bonelli’s eagle ( Aquila fasciata Vieillot ), a species that in Italy nests only in Sicily. In 2015 we embarked on a project to protect it, discovering that for years the chicks had been taken from the nests and sold at the birds of prey market. We then secured the nests, installing camera traps and collaborating with the police. The result? At the beginning we had counted 30 couples, at the end of the project there were about sixty.

What are the habitats and animals most at risk, always in our country?

In Italy the problem areas are the flat ones , primarily the Po Valley. We have drained wetlands, harnessed rivers, removed shrub vegetation on the banks to make room for cultivated fields, devastated coastal environments and dunes . Amphibians are in great difficulty, because the wetlands are being reclaimed and transformed into cultivated fields. At sea , trawling and moorings have seriously damaged the Posidonia meadows, aquatic plants that we could compare to tropical forests in terms of importance for the ecosystem and the fight against climate change. These are the environments that historically have suffered the most in Italy. I would add the fires in the wooded areas of central and southern Italy, triggered by man and made more devastating by climatic conditions.

Among the animal species in critical conditions I would also mention the Marsican bear which has its stronghold in the Abruzzo national park and is unable to expand, because outside the park it finds infrastructures, roads, railways. This means that one disease is enough to risk losing the majority of the population. 

What can each citizen do in his own small way to protect biodiversity?

In the face of this news it is normal to feel powerless, but in reality each of us can reduce our ecological footprint in many ways. Shopping for local products, at zero km and in season may seem like a trivial choice, but it has great repercussions on nature because it involves saving water and energy. An eloquent case is strawberries . Those that come to us in March are grown around the Coto de Doñana National Park , a wetland of great importance for migratory birds and the Parisian lynx. Large quantities of water are taken to irrigate strawberry crops, putting biodiversity in crisis.