Brown mouse, gray dormouse... These mammals are threatened with extinction in the Seine-Maritime
Through Joe Hue
Published on
See my news
Regression and degradation of their habitatremoval of wet areadeforestation, regression of the bocage, use of pesticides, urbanization and artificialization of the soil, overfishing… It is precisely the man who continues to represent the greatest danger to wildlife. In the Normandy also, the state of biodiversity continues to deterioratetestifies to it the endangered species list in the region and in particular in the Seine-Maritime.
A red list of mammals in Normandy
The Normandy Agency for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (ANBDD) has published its sixth regional red list of threatened species. After the Orthoptera (locusts and grasshoppers), the Rhopalocera and the Zigeni (diurnal butterflies), the Odonata (dragonflies), the Amphibians and the Reptiles, of which respectively half and a third are threatened with extinction in the region, it is the turn of our closest cousins, the mammalsto examine.
This has not been done for about ten years and this is the first time this inventory has been carried out on the scale of reunified Normandy. And the conclusion is terrible: more than one out of five mammalian species of the region is considered threatened. In Normandy, 67 species were analyzed according to the methodology of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to draw up this red list.
20.9%
14 species found in Normandy are considered threatened, or 20.9% of the mammals in the region.
14 species are considered threatened and classified as ‘CR/EN’ or ‘VU’ which should be translated as ‘critically endangered/endangered species’ or ‘vulnerable species’. Romain Mattonthe Normandy Agency for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (ANBDD), based in Rouen, which coordinates and banks data on the Odin regional platform, explains yes big data “For mammals, 225,000 sightings were performed in 10 years. » A red list which is subject to a collective evaluation by experts and is validated by the Regional Scientific Council for Natural Heritage (CSRPN).
“This red list is not alarmist”
For Christophe Rideau, of the Eastern Branch of the Norman Mammalogical Group (GMM), which carried out the classification and prioritized species by threat category, “this red list is not alarmist. Conservation measures sometimes pay off. For example, the greater horseshoe bat it used to be very rare, but this bat is no longer considered threatened because it is on the rise. But we are less than 8,000 individuals in the whole region”.
“If we compare these large mammals with great needs to humans, it’s paltry [96% de la biomasse des mammifères est constituée des humains, des animaux domestiques et du bétail, NDLR] ! The agricultural or forestry practices continue to threaten them, with increasingly intensive exploitation of the forest. Most mammals are closely associated with the forest and bocage, which are increasingly in decline. The wood energy sector, which mainly produces wood chips or pellets, is a real disaster. »
The Vole and the Black Mouse in Peril
Normandy is one of the best-prospected regions, and the Seine-Maritime is particularly popular: “The number of existing stocks twice as important than in the other departments of Normandy.
the country of Bray it notably exhibits “significant diversity in small mammals”. the ground vole (now called water vole) is present only in Seine-Maritime, in the valleys of Bresle and Yères. The species is very localized, therefore classified as vulnerable on a regional scale: there would be fewer than 1,000 individuals in both valleys.
A simple pollution could spell the end of the species.
the black rat, classified as CR (“endangered”) is “in steep decline. It competes with the Norwegian mouse. It is a kind of attic, perhaps still present at the level of the doors port and of Rouen ». For the gray dormouse, also “endangered”, “we are not even sure of the presence of the species as a native population”. The animal will certainly soon be considered extinct.
Bats, victims of wind turbines
At the level of batsthe little horseshoe bat it is not threatened regionally, but is endangered in the Pays de Caux. The common noctule it is also very present here, but in regression: it would be there less than 300 individuals throughout the department.
It is a regular victim of wind turbines, forest management as it nests in very old trees with hollows, which are now being cut down to go to China. And also the disappearance of insects, which is a big problem for all insectivorous species.
His cousin the pygmy batthe smallest bat in Europe, it is also very localized in the Seine-Maritime, “present only in the Durdent valley”.
L’ermine it is also in danger at the regional level, especially in Seine-Maritime where a small population survives in the forest of Eu. The species is threatened by road collisions and by the scarcity of small rodents, its favorite prey, in particular the wild rabbit (NT listed, “almost threatened”).
A completely extinct cetacean
Pollution, shipping traffic and bycatch by fishermen are the main threats to marine mammals. We find more and more sea calf seals in the Seine estuary. But it remains a fragile population. The porpoises they are also more abundant there, likely “due to populations that have come down from the North Sea to feed.”
The pilot whales, these cetaceans that can live up to 80 years with close family ties, have instead completely disappeared. “The groups that passed on the Normandy coast no longer pass there or are dead, killed at the level of the Faroe Islands where massacres of cetaceans occur regularly”.
The wolf is back
As for the orca, fin whale, beluga or walrus recently seen in the department, “these are species that have never been seen in the past and have no place here! It is rather worrying”, for the naturalist. Finally, three species of mammals are considered extinct (RE) in Normandy: the Eurasian beaverthe forest cat and the european mink.
the wolf has been removed from the latter list, as the presence of an individual has been confirmed in Seine-Maritime”, which makes this observation the first record of this species for more than 100 years on Normandy territory. We have one, a sedentary individual, but alone.A herd is unlikely to settle down.
Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow 76actu in the My News space. In one click, after registering, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.
Commentaires
Enregistrer un commentaire