Many species are under threat across Europe, and governments are not taking the necessary steps to ensure their survival, according to a new report from the World Wildlife Fund. WWF lists 10 specific species that are in decline in most European Union countries, including the Iberian lynx, brown bear, monk seal, and loggerhead turtle. WWF is calling on European governments to implement the EU’s habitats directive, which calls on them to designate special areas of conservation (SACs) to protect all species at risk. EU nations should have complied with the directive by 1995, but no country has yet done so, and the European Commission has begun legal action against several nations for failing to designate enough SACs.
