The Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Observatory has recently published a new one UPDATE OF THE PLANET -LEXT INDEX IN CATALAN REGULATIONBetter known as LPI-CAT)
The information provided shows that between 2002 and 2023 in the Wild animal populations in Catalonia There was an average loss of individuals estimated at 28%. Worldwide, the LPI estimates that in the last half century the average loss of individuals in populations of controlled species has been 73%, which includes approximately 5,495 species of amphibians, birds, fish, fish, mammals and reptiles. In the region that includes Europe and the center of Asia, the loss could reach up to 35%.
The Living Planet Index or LPI-CAT
In Catalonia, the previous update of the LPI-Cat was performed in 2022. With this new review you can have a Most accurate and reliable photography of the situation of populationsBecause it is calculated with information about more species and more areas. That is why there has been an even greater loss with regard to the calculations made in 2022.
This edition includes data from 353 species, 32 more than in the edition of two years ago. To quote some examples, the Samarugo is included in the index (Spanish Valencia), a small fish that is typical of the coastal lagines; Mammals such as forest bat (Barbastella Barbastellus) or theos (Meles Meles); or an amphibian of cold environments such as the Bermeja -Kikker (Temporary frog).
Similarly, it has also been analyzed for the first time what the General evolution of the LPI-CAT to find out if this loss in populations has been acceleratedIt has stopped or remained stable in recent years. The results indicate the third option. Although the loss of biodiversity is not weakened, it has not been accelerated in recent years and it has been enforced in an annual average of 1.5% of the loss of specimens.
“He Living Planet Index shows us whether the amount of wild animals we have increases or decreases. It is an average of the trends of many species, in fact of which we have sufficient quality information. The current version collects information of two years, but also contains data from new types of butterflies, continental or mammalian water fish, or the expansion of available locations for reptiles, amphibians and small mammals such as bats.
For the first time, marine species are included, Thanks to the monitoring of marine biodiversity that is carried out in Cap de Creus and Medas Islands”, Says Sergi Herrando, a researcher at Creaf and scientific coordinator of the group of experts who calculate this index in the context of the Biodiversity Observatory of Catalonia.
The secretary of ecological transition in Catalonia, Jordi Sargatal, has indicated that “The LPI is an important indicator of the Catalan strategy of natural heritage and biodiversity, as an evaluation index consisting of time.” Sargatal has confirmed that We must implement ambitious objectives with the conservation policy that reverses this trend and have indicated that “The department is being done to have the necessary tools to keep to them, so they are working on the Natural Act Mid -2025 and to have the Natuurguilden van Operational Catalonia in early 2026“.
Biodiversity information according to environments
As a novelty it was updated in 2024 and it has been improved in particular the information of environments, which has not been published since 2020, When he became a member of the report Nature. The availability of more data has therefore been able to obtain a more reliable picture of the loss that has taken place through environments. In this sense, in the last 22 years there has been a loss of 40% in agricultural and meadow environments, and in continental waters, while it is quantified at 15% in forests and bushes.
Loose Data on the marine environment is still limited to few species And places and therefore representative trends cannot be extracted for all marine communities. However, this 2024 was able to include marine species in the general indicators for the first time.
The first time the recording of the analysis of the general evolution of the LPI-CAT enables us to better detect and lead the policy to reverse the loss of populations of wild animals. In this sense, it is pointed out that the populations of forest animals are a priority objective, because although these environments have been considered expansion and ripening in recent years, the loss of these animals accelerates. “This suggests that, despite applying conservation measures, the pressure on the natural environment is growing in the same proportion at the same time”says Lluís Brotons, scientific coordinator of the Observatory of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity of Catalonia.
On the other hand, there is a less negative trend in the last 10 years in agricultural and meadows, despite the general loss context. The causes of these variations in trends must be studied in the coming years and special attention. From the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Jordi Sargatal points out that “Saving nature is urgent and interests everyone, because this does not entail much more economic and social costs“.
Exemplary cases
Despite what On average there is a loss of the number of people in animal populations Since the beginning of the century, if we look more in detail, we find a wide variety of cases: the populations of 164 species are decreasing, 70 grow and the remaining 119 do not show significant population trends.
Fauna groups that show a more general loss are butterflies and fish, where about 70% of the types of specimen lose. Under the Numerous types of butterflies whose populations decrease We can mention two types of the Mediterranean Open Environmentales: La Pardilla (Glaucopsyne melanops) and the Herrbrosa medium (Ocitanic melanargia), because locally have many regressions and extinction, but not a population group. Among the fish are marine species such as the regular Sargo (Diplodus sargus) or, in continental waters, the Barb or Graells (are in regression (grainLuciobarbus Graellsii).
Are found on the other side of the balance mammals, where more species increase than in reduction. The brown bear (Ursus) or theos (Meles Meles) are examples of mammals whose populations grow, while others like the cave boat (Miniopterus Schreibersii) and the field mouse (Apodemus sylvaticicus) They are in decline.
And what about plants?
The planet index in Catalonia integrates temporary data from 32 biological monitoring projects. They represent just over one tenth of the more than 300 monitoring projects than the Follow -up -harmonization project (Harmon) The observatory of natural heritage and biodiversity of Catalonia has been compiled so far.
These 32 projects are those who have the best temporary series of population data and space coverage. Little with little work, more follow-ups and species are included in the LPI-Cat, but Some of these follow -Ups, as made with plantsNot consolidated and representative that sufficient data is available and therefore there are very organic groups that are not yet shown in this index.
Collaboration and participation in the Follow -Up
He LPI-CAT is a project promoted by the Department of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of Catalonia, coordinated by CreafThe Catalan Institute of Ornithology, The Bibio Group of the Museum of Ciències Naturals de Granollers, the Irbio of the University of Barcelona and the Catalan Societat d’Hertologia, and is prepared within the framework of the Observatory of Natural Heritage and the Biodiversity of the Biodiversity of Catalonia. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of Catalonia also contains data from the hunting species.
This is the Fourth update of the Living Planet Index made CataloniaAn index created by WWF and recognized by the United Nations to measure the loss of biodiversity worldwide. Catalonia is the only community that has this information about Spanish territory and is an important fact that is included in the global biodiversity evaluation made by the Observatory of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity periodically.
The Living Planet Index is based on data from Standardized programs for biodiversity monitoring programsMainly organized by entities that coordinate fieldwork and in many cases are carried out by voluntary people experts in the field. The inclusion of new species in the index only follows criteria for information quality and only occurs when the results are considered representative of the populations of the whole of Catalonia.
All Projects produce the population numbers annually (Number of people) in sample stations where periodically follows -Up. The projects that offer more information to the LPI-CAT are the monitoring of common birds in Catalonia (SOCC) and the monitoring of butterflies, the Catalan butterfly monitoring schedule (CBMS).
These 2024, nine projects are included, including We can emphasize the monitoring of marine biodiversity to the nature park of Cabo de Creus and in the Nature Park of Montgrí, the Medas Islands and the Baster; those of bats in cavities and in river courses, called quirorefugis and quirorius respectively; The monitoring of common amphibians of Catalonia (SACC) and the mammal monitoring program (hunting species) of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food.