Over a fifth of endangered species in Greece under threat of extinction

Over a fifth of the 11,500 endangered animal, plant and fungi species in Greece are "critically endangered," meaning they are under threat of extinction, a new assessment of the country's Red List has found.

The Environment Ministry published the revised list to mark European Natura 2000 Day, the anniversary of the creation in 1992 of what is now the world's largest coordinated network of protected areas that now includes more than 27,000 sites.

The species included in the Greek Red List have been assessed according to the criteria set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The local Red List, aligning with the IUCN's Red List, operates as an openly accessible database, ensuring access to scientific information regarding flora and fauna species.

While globally 28% of the species assessed by the IUCN are under threat, in Greece that...