Why salamanders are important to you
30 years of nature protection
in Europe
Salamanders may seem like insignificant creatures that enjoy wandering around humid environments. Most people would attach little importance to these small and solitary amphibians. Yet, salamanders, referred to by scientists as ‘indicator species’, play a fundamental role in the good functioning of ecosystems. As they are very sensitive to environmental change and pollution, salamanders, and their habitat, need to be protected for the species and their ecosystem to survive.
With the Habitats directive, the EU has been safeguarding salamanders, together with hundreds of other animal species, as well as plants and natural areas since 1992. Nature knows no borders. And this is why the EU’s 27 member states work together to safeguard and restore Europe’s natural environment and its biodiversity. From Finland to Malta, from Romania to Portugal, EU law has helped preserve habitats and the living species they host.
Yet, nature in the EU is under growing pressure from human-induced pollution, climate change and habitat loss. The EU has set new goals to put biodiversity on the path of recovery by 2030.
The web of life
The tiniest of creatures, even tinier than a salamander, carry huge responsibility for sustaining the fascinating web of life.
Nature’s survival is a fragile balance where each element plays a vital role. Every single species and the interactions between them are fundamental to life as we know it on Earth.
In wetlands for instance, which are among the salamander’s favourite habitats, many species interconnect to make the ecosystem function.
This is true for the food web: plants, which take their energy from the sun, serve as food for insects and worms, which in turn support the population of salamanders who in turn are food for snakes and birds.
But it is also true for other essential ecosystem dynamics. Salamanders, for instance, have a unique role in enhancing soil quality thanks to the fact that they feed on invertebrates, which are involved in the decomposition of organic matter. So vital is their function and all the actions that depend on it, that their presence serves as a barometer for assessing whether a certain area is in a good natural state or not.
In addition, salamanders are also considered indicators of climate change. As cold-blooded amphibians, they are unable to regulate their temperature internally and need to keep their skin moist. Drier weather linked to global warming can make habitats uninhabitable for salamanders, leading to a drop in their population.
Natural capital
Maintaining the delicate life support system of an ecosystem is not the only reason why the survival of species and habitats is key. Humans benefit from nature in a whole range of ways and our own survival and prosperity depend on nature.
Nature is a powerful ally in the fight against climate change, not only because species can warn us about warming temperatures, like salamanders do, but also because healthy ecosystems can help absorb our greenhouse gas emissions.
The food we eat depends on well-functioning ecosystems too. Pollinators, such as wild bees and many species of butterflies and flies, help produce more than three quarters of the world’s food crops. Without pollinators, we would not be able to enjoy coffee, chocolate or apples.
When trees absorb carbon via photosynthesis, they release oxygen into the atmosphere providing clean air for us to breathe. Plants and trees also play a vital role in purifying water, for instance wetlands can improve the quality of water by removing pollutants from surface waters.
Besides food, the environment provides us with natural resources, which are fundamental for many economic sectors. Destroying nature means reducing opportunities for growth and jobs.
The EU’s nature policy
The EU has long recognised the need to preserve nature and biodiversity, and adopted its first legislative act on species protection – the Birds directive – back in 1979.
13 years later, the goals were extended well beyond wild bird species with the adoption of the Habitats directive.
As the cornerstone of the EU’s nature legislation, the Habitats directive aims to safeguard biodiversity and in particular rare, threatened endemic species, as well as the areas where they occur. It covers over 1 000 animal and plant species and 200 habitat types. The rules also ensure that economic, social and cultural factors are taken into account when adopting conservation measures.
The Habitats directive lists several species of salamanders and newts, both belonging to the family ‘Salamandridae’, which have been recognised as being in need of special protection. Among these is the crested newt, Triturus cristatus whose populations are spread over much of the EU territory, from France to Poland and Finland.
The largest network of protected areas worldwide
EU law is built on the principle that protecting a species is as important as protecting its habitat and the ecosystem it is part of.
With the Habitats directive, the EU launched the creation of the Natura 2000 network, which is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world today.
Its goal is to safeguard the most valuable and threatened species and habitats in the EU by protecting designated natural areas. The network works to make the habitats and species it aims to preserve sustainable in the long term.
The interaction between people and nature is considered central. Designated sites must be managed sustainably from both an ecological and an economic point of view. This means that human activity may be allowed in them.
Financing action on the ground
Also in 1992, the EU set up the LIFE programme – its main financing tool for environmental, nature conservation, climate (and most recently, clean energy) projects.
Over the last thirty years, LIFE has funded over 5 500 projects all over the EU contributing to saving over 1 800 species of wild animals and plants. It has supported the development of the Natura 2000 network by financing actions to sustainably manage designated sites.
Funding is provided to public or private entities and requires co-financing by other bodies.
Between 2021 and 2027, LIFE will contribute €5.4 billion to the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change. This is 60% more than the budget allocated for the previous seven-year period.
Actions funded by the LIFE programme have contributed to restoring populations and habitats of species listed under the Habitats directive all over the EU. Conservation measures have saved unique European species from extinction, including the bearded vulture, the Azores bullfinch and the Iberian lynx.
Amphibians, including salamanders and newts, are among the target groups of many LIFE-funded actions. Here are some examples of projects aiming to protect amphibians and their habitats.
The Natura 2000 network covers all 27 EU member states. It protects 18% of the EU’s land and around 10% of its marine territory. Land natural sites consist mostly of forests, pasture and farming land. Wetlands, the salamander’s favourite habitat, are also covered by the network.
Many of the sites under protection benefit from conservation and management actions which are funded by the EU’s LIFE programme.
Protecting amphibians in north-eastern Poland
The project supported key amphibian populations in four Natura 2000 network sites by restoring their habitats and creating good conditions for breeding.
Nature conservation in biodiversity hotspot Garrigues Gardoises
The project aims to restore and create new ponds for amphibians, among other objectives. Barriers and crossing devices are to be installed to prevent amphibian road mortality.
Piloting integrated wetland restoration
The project aims to restore wetlands to three Natura 2000 sites, for the benefit of habitats and species, and to enhance the economic potential of rural communities in Latvia and Lithuania.
Shaping a sustainable future in Cyprus
The project plans to achieve a favourable conservation status for protected species and habitats through actions across the whole Natura 2000 network.
Protecting floodplain amphibians
The project aims to increase the population size of three amphibian species – the fire-bellied toad, the tree frog and the great crested newt – and to restore their habitats.
Conservation of amphibians and butterflies in wet areas
The project’s main goal was to improve the conservation status of amphibians and butterflies living in open wet areas inside the Foreste Casentinesi national park.
Re-creating habitats for semi-aquatic fauna
The project’s objective was to restore and create wetlands to support populations of semi-aquatic insects, reptiles and amphibians, including the European fire-bellied toad and the common spadefoot toad.
The Natura 2000 network covers all 27 EU member states. It protects 18% of the EU’s land and around 10% of its marine territory. Land natural sites consist mostly of forests, pasture and farming land. Wetlands, the salamander’s favourite habitat, are also covered by the network.
Many of the sites under protection benefit from conservation and management actions which are funded by the EU’s LIFE programme.
Protecting amphibians in north-eastern Poland
The project supported key amphibian populations in four Natura 2000 network sites by restoring their habitats and creating good conditions for breeding.
Nature conservation in biodiversity hotspot Garrigues Gardoises
The project aims to restore and create new ponds for amphibians, among other objectives. Barriers and crossing devices are to be installed to prevent amphibian road mortality.
Piloting integrated wetland restoration
The project aims to restore wetlands to three Natura 2000 sites, for the benefit of habitats and species, and to enhance the economic potential of rural communities in Latvia and Lithuania.
Shaping a sustainable future in Cyprus
The project plans to achieve a favourable conservation status for protected species and habitats through actions across the whole Natura 2000 network.
Protecting floodplain amphibians
The project aims to increase the population size of three amphibian species – the fire-bellied toad, the tree frog and the great crested newt – and to restore their habitats.
Conservation of amphibians and butterflies in wet areas
The project’s main goal was to improve the conservation status of amphibians and butterflies living in open wet areas inside the Foreste Casentinesi national park.
Re-creating habitats for semi-aquatic fauna
The project’s objective was to restore and create wetlands to support populations of semi-aquatic insects, reptiles and amphibians, including the European fire-bellied toad and the common spadefoot toad.
The EU’s biodiversity strategy
The Habitats directive has been a fundamental tool for conserving biodiversity in the EU for thirty years.
However, the growing threat of climate change, the continuous loss and increasing degradation of habitats, as well as pollution are among the main factors affecting the survival of many species and ecosystems in the EU and worldwide. Scientists estimate that as many as 200 species become extinct every day somewhere in the world.
In 2020, EU member states within the Council adopted conclusions endorsing a new plan presented by the European Commission to strengthen actions safeguarding nature. The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 sets out measures and targets to put Europe’s biodiversity on the path to recovery.
Among the main actions foreseen in the strategy are:
- extending the Natura 2000 network to cover at least 30% of the EU's land and sea area
- restoring degraded ecosystems across the EU through a series of specific commitments and measures, including reducing pesticides use by 50% by 2030 and planting 3 billion trees
- increasing funding by €20 billion per year to protect and promote biodiversity through EU funds and national and private funding
The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 will better shield species, like salamanders, from growing threats. Larger amounts of territory under protection, reduced pollution of soils and restoration actions will offer animals as well as plants safer habitats.
Better protected and restored nature is also crucial in the fight against climate change, as healthier ecosystems absorb a higher amount of greenhouse gases.
Working with global partners
Acting at EU level will not be sufficient to tackle the biodiversity crisis. More also needs to be done globally.
The EU wants to lead by example with its ambitious 2030 goals for biodiversity and is determined to push other countries in the world to follow suit.
In 2022, leaders from all nations will come together to agree on new and bolder global goals for nature. The United Nations conference on biodiversity COP15 will mark a key moment for the international community where they will be able to determine together how to stop species from disappearing every day and how to pass on a healthier planet to future generations.
This is as vital for salamanders as it is for every single one of us.
Photo credits
- Crested newt, Triturus cristatus © Saxifraga, Kees Marijnissen
- European tree frog © Lech Krzysztofiak
- Pelobates cultripes larva © Saxifraga, Edo van Uchelen
- Wetland area © Latvian Fund for Nature
- Natural areas close to the forest village of Agios Nicolaos in the Troodos Mountains. Cyprus © AFP Danil Shamkin, NurPhoto
- Crested newt © Joachim Neumann, NABU
- Spectacled salamander © Francesco Lemma
- European fire-bellied toad © Per Nyström at Ekoll AB
- Danube Crested Newt © Joachim Nerz
- Oulu, Kuusamo, Finland © Saxifraga-Dirk Hilbers
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