More than ten species from Mallorca enter the first state Red List of threatened species

PalmaMore than ten species present in Mallorca have been included in the first Spanish Red List of Threatened Species, a scientific tool developed according to the methodology of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that assesses the conservation status of biodiversity in Spain.

The initiative, promoted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco), has analyzed 1,545 species of fauna and flora, 471 of which are threatened and 75 are cataloged as critically endangered. As highlighted by the Mallorca Preservation foundation, among the included species are several endemic animals of the Balearic Islands that are particularly sensitive to human pressure and the effects of climate change.

One of the most worrying cases is that of the ferreret (Alytes muletensis), a small amphibian exclusive to the Serra de Tramuntana cataloged as endangered. Despite the reintroduction programs developed over the last decades, experts warn of a significant population decline. Among the main threats are the presence of the water snake introduced to the Islands, which directly preys on the species, as well as competition with other introduced amphibians and the degradation of its natural habitats.

The Red List also includes Neoascia balearensis, a bee linked to wetlands in Mallorca and Menorca, heavily affected by water extraction, agricultural pollution, and climate change. Equally worrying is the situation of Dufourea balearica, another endemic bee found only in Capdepera and Cala Mesquida, whose survival is threatened by the urbanistic and tourist transformation of the coastline.

Among the vulnerable species is also the Balearic saddle bush-cricket (Parasteropleurus balearicus), affected by urbanization, infrastructure construction, and the progressive loss of habitat. The Balearic lizard or Lilford's lizard (Podarcis lilfordi), cataloged as near threatened, is another symbol of island biodiversity that concerns experts. The species, which disappeared from the main islands about 2,000 years ago due to the introduction of predators, now only survives on small islets of Mallorca, Menorca, and Cabrera. The possible arrival of new invasive snakes currently represents one of its main threats.

Mallorca Preservation underlines that the majority of identified risks are related to land transformation. Urban and tourist expansion, habitat fragmentation, pollution, extraction of water resources, and the proliferation of invasive species appear recurrently among the factors that endanger Balearic fauna and flora. Experts warn that, in island ecosystems as fragile as those of the Balearic Islands, many species can see their conservation status rapidly worsen if environmental pressures continue to increase.