"PANDA", number 98 of the magazine of the WWF/Adena association,2007

In the present number the following information is emphasized.

-The present extinction accelerates its rate in all the planet

The International Union for the Conservation of the Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) notices that the extinction rate that is taking place at the present time is being accelerated progressively at a speed of between 100 and 1,000 times greater than the caused by natural causes at last times. The IUCN is an organism of international

character whose operations are decentralized and carried out by an increasing network of regional and national offices around the globe. From his creation, in 1948 in Fontenainebleau (France), it offers an expert consultant's office on scientific and political aspects related to the environment, with the purpose of promoting regional

agreements, suitable legislations and institutions and strategies for the sustainable management of the natural resources.

This organization has stated that in the last 40 years 784 species have disappeared, and that other only 65 are able to survive in captivity or controlled plantations. Of the 40,177 evaluated species, 16,119 appear in one or another of the four categories of threat of their Red List. Thus, 12% of the birds, 23% of the mammals, 52% of the insects, 32% of the amphibians, 52% of the reptiles, 25% of the fish and 20% of the sharks and rays are threaten. An example of the many affected species is the polar bear

-The Miñarzos, first Reserve of Fishing of the north of Spain

After the tragedy of the Prestige in November of 2002, the future of the fishing and shellfishing sectors of the area of the Galician coast known as Costa da Morte it was pessimistic, but since then some initiatives have been made that could invert that tendency. One of them is precisely the constitution of this reserve of fishing interest The Miñarzos in May of 2007 by the independent government, the Xunta of Galicia. It has been possible thanks to the project of WWF/Adena presented in June of the 2006 with Telefónica and the Social Work of Caja Madrid sponsorship. This zone had already been included by the ecological organization as one of the 20 marine paradises of high-priority conservation in Spain. In particular, this Reserve will occupy the coastal façade from the Sisargas islands to the end to the height of Monte Louro, including therefore the sandy ground of Carnota and the small “rías” of Corme-Laxe and Camariñas. Its biodiversity is similar to those of the British Islands or Britain but greater, emphasizing agglomerations of the great brown seaweed (caniculata Pelvetia, Fucus spiralis, Fucus vesiculosus, etc.). Kelp (Fucus vesiculosus) is considered as a rich food in calcium and with presence of all necessary minerals for the body, specially being recommended for the regularization of the thyroid gland. In superficial waters the banks of hake and sardines can be outstood, while that in waters of the continental platform can be found hake, roosters, blue whiting, anglerfish and Dublin Bay prawn. Among the tridactylic seagull and arao can be birds emphasized. In the cultural aspect, this zone is also important, representing the last section of the Way of Santiago with Monte Pindo as legendary top of the celt world and abundant rest of “casros” and of the megalitic culture.

The CITES (Convention on International Commerce of Threatened Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) has just approved in his 14ª Conference celebrated in La Haya from the 3 to the 15 of June of this year, a new embargo of 9 years to the ivory commerce of African elephants, although a method has not been defined to avoid the proliferation of illegal markets in Africa and Asia.

Some of the greater rivers of the world are dried. The most showy caseis the Yangtzé river in China observed in the EFE photography. This must make us reflect on a necessary planning of the cultures and on the inadequate protection of the areas that feedthe fluvial courses. The water appears as well as a resource non guaranteed for the future. The complete report in English can unload in the following direction to www.panda.org/freshwater.

The Iberian imperial eagle, Aquila adlaberti, one of Iberian jewels seems to have a slight breathing in its serious declivity when getting to surpass the 200 pairs in its territory of nest building again. Nevertheless, the main threats for this species follow effective, being the electrocution in the electrical layings, the main one (a 52% of deaths), followed of poisoning , hunt by firing, hunt by traps and bows.

The Intergubernamental Panel de Change Climatic (IPCC), settled downin 1988 by World-wide Meteorological Organization (WMO, World Meteorological Organization) and the Environmental Program of the United Nations (UNEP, United Nations Environment Programme), finishes the present displaying its room report during year 2007 in which is recognized that since a certain degree of climatic change is inevitable but indicating at the same time that we are still on time to avoid the most disastrous effects of this change. One notices that already the ascent of the level of the sea is taking place and that 100 million people who live to less than 1 m of height above this level next they can lose their houses and their place of life; this will be accompanied of a considerable loss of fresh water available for hundreds of millions people, being the poor countries the most threatened by these effects. Therefore, it is already made urgent adopt the measures and technologies, existing and nowadays sufficiently effective, to avoid the emission to the atmosphere of great amounts of CO2. The cost of these measures, according to WWF/Adena, would suppose a 0,2-3% of the world-wide GIP, whereas the cost of not carrying out them would be of a 10% in 2050.

   -Among the 10 natural wonders more theatened by the climatic change we can find:

- Amazonian → Entre un 30 y un 60% de esta superficie podría transformarse en sabana para el 2050, con gran pérdida de biodiversidad y alteración del clima terrestre

- Gran Barrera de Coral (Australia) → Blanqueamiento y muerte

- Glaciares del Himalaya

- Manglares de Sundarbans y tigre de Bengala → Desaparición por aumento del nivel del mar y salinización de acuíferos

- Desierto de Chihuahua en Méxio y EEUU → Disminución del caudal del río Bravo

- Tramo alto del río Yangtsé (China) → Disminución del caudal y cambios del tipo de lluvias, que ahora son más torrenciales, alternándose grandes inundaciones con grandes sequías

- Tortugas carey del mar Caribe → Destrucción de las playas donde nidifican por aumento del nivel del mar y destrucción de los corales y plantas marinas que les sirven de alimento

- Mar de Bering en Alaska → Deshielo de los glaciares cambiando la salinidad del agua en la que vie el salmó

Between the 10 natural wonders more threatened by the climatic change the following ones are mentioned:

- Amazonian Between 30 and a 60% of this surface could be transformed into savannah in 2050, with great loss of biodiversity and alteration of the terrestrial climate.

- Great Barrier of Chorale (Australia): Blanchment and death

- Glaciers of the Himalaya

- Mangrove swamps of Sundarbans and tiger of Bengal: Disappearance by increase of the level of the sea and salinization of water-bearing.

- Desert of Chihuahua in Méxio and the U.S.A.: Diminution of the volume of the Bravo river.

- High section of the Yangtsé river (Chinese): Diminution of the volume and changes of the type of rains, that now are more torrential, alternating great floods with great droughts.

- Carey turtles of the Caribbean Sea: Destruction of beaches where they nest for increase of the sea level and destruction of the chorales and marine plant that serve them as food.

- Sea of Bering in Alaska: Defrosting of glaciers changing the salinity of the water in which the salmon live and important populations of other fish, seafood, whales and polar bears.

- Coastal forests and marine ecorregion of Eastern Africa: The ascent of the level of the sea will diminish agriculture, the tourism and fishing, also increasing the risk of epidemics like the malaria.

-The degree of implantation of the Network Natura 2000 in Spain is under the average of the 25 countries of the European Union..