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Close to 70% of Wild animals have been extinct since 1970, reports WWF. Until now, deforestation was the main cause, along with overfishing and poaching. Tomorrow will be global warming. Report in the park of the Brennea wetland that is drying up and seeing species disappear.
It is a mosaic of waters, forests, of moors and meadows. With its 3,000 ponds, the regional natural park of Brenne (Indre) is thea of the most important wetlands in France. Its ecological richness is exceptional, but fragile. From the observatory nestled in the heart of the park, the director of the reserve, Albert Millot, watches for the arrival of migratory birds: up to 260 different species. He especially hopes to see, without believing it too much, a Bittern, a heron from northern Europe that builds its nest on the surface of ponds. With the drought, it is becoming increasingly rare.
“It is increasingly difficult to have favorable water levels in the ponds, which means that the water level in the reedbeds is decreasing. From the moment there is no more water in the reed bed, the Bittern no longer comes to nest. We had 20 to 25 singing males, right now we’re down to five to six males singers“, explains Albert Millot. There are only 250 Bitterns left in France, twice as many as 10 years ago, because of the drought. The lack of rain has also dried up the marshes, which were the winter refuge of the Cistudes, the freshwater turtles.
The danger also came from other, more exotic species, such as the nutria, which invaded the Brenne. In total, 69% animal populations have disappeared since 1970, and 83% for freshwater environments.