- Pro Natura has chosen the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) as an ambassador for wild forests and diverse cultural landscapes.
- She calls for better protection of the wilderness, especially in the forest.
- The Swiss Fisheries Association (SFV) has meanwhile chosen the whitefish as fish of the year 2022. The SFV describes the decline in whitefish as frightening.
In the 1990s, 1,500 tons of whitefish were pulled from Swiss lakes, in 2019 it was only 486 tons. “The reason for this sharp decline is the massive deterioration in the habitat”, SFV managing director David Bittner is quoted in the message.
Legend:
Fewer and fewer whitefish are fished from Swiss lakes – like this one from Lake Biel.
Keystone
Mainly oxygen has become too scarce due to the overfertilization of many lakes in the last century in deep regions and at their spawning grounds. In lakes – for example in the Lucerne and Aargau Central Plateau – the extinct populations could only be preserved through artificial rearing to this day. Natural reproduction is severely restricted in the long term. “Unfortunately, our whitefish is a lot more troublesome,” continues Bittner. This included built-up banks or chemical pollution.
The animal of the year overslept its choice
In addition to the fish of the year, there is also the animal of the year: the garden dormouse. Pro Natura chose him for this. The rare rodent doesn’t know anything about it – it sleeps well into April.
The nature conservation organization understands the choice of the garden dormouse as a call to protect the wilderness. The garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) that hibernates in tree hollows and crevices, walls, buildings and caves occurs only in Europe.
The forest as home is in dire straits
However, according to Pro Natura, the forest as its original habitat is in dire straits. According to this, only 6.3 percent of the Swiss forest area was secured as forest reserves with priority for nature conservation at the end of 2018. By 2030 it should be ten percent – that’s Switzerland’s goal.
“Against the background of the acute biodiversity crisis” that is insufficient, according to a statement from Pro Natura on Sunday. The garden dormouse survived this loss only thanks to its adaptability as a so-called cultural follower.