European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs Annabelle Cuttelod, Mary Seddon and Eike Neubert European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs Annabelle Cuttelod, Mary Seddon and Eike Neubert IUCN Global Species Programme IUCN Regional Office for Europe IUCN Species Survival Commission Published by the European Commission. This publication has been prepared by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and the Natural History of Bern, Switzerland. The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, the Natural History Museum of Bern or the European Union concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, the Natural History Museum of Bern or the European Commission. Citation: Cuttelod, A., Seddon, M. and Neubert, E. 2011. European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Design & Layout by: Tasamim Design - www.tasamim.net Printed by: The Colchester Print Group, United Kingdom Picture credits on cover page: The rare “Hélice catalorzu” Tacheocampylaea acropachia acropachia is endemic to the southern half of Corsica and is considered as Endangered. Its populations are very scattered and poor in individuals. This picture was taken in the Forêt de Muracciole in Central Corsica, an occurrence which was known since the end of the 19th century, but was completely destroyed by a heavy man-made forest fire in 2000. Photo © Gerhard Falkner. All photographs used in this publication remain the property of the original copyright holder (see individual captions for details). Photographs should not be reproduced or used in other contexts without written permission from the copyright holder. Available from: Publications Office of the European Union, http://bookshop.europa.eu IUCN Publications Services, www.iucn.org/publications A catalogue of IUCN publications is also available. Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2011 ISBN 978-92-79-20198-1 doi:10.2779/84538 © European Union, 2011 Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Printed in the United Kingdom The text of this book is printed on 115 gsm FSC certified 100% recycled silk paper. ii Table of contents Foreword .......... ....................................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................... vii Executive summary ................................................................................................................................................ ix 1. Background .......................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 The European context ...................................................................................................................................1 1.2 European molluscs: diversity and endemism .................................................................................................2 1.3 Species threat status .....................................................................................................................................3 1.4 Objectives of the assessment .........................................................................................................................4 2. Assessment methodology ..................................................................................................................................5 2.1 Global and regional assessments ...................................................................................................................5 2.2 Geographic scope .........................................................................................................................................5 2.3 Taxonomic scope ..........................................................................................................................................5 2.4 Preliminary assessments ................................................................................................................................6 2.5 Review workshop and evaluation of assessments ..........................................................................................6 3. Freshwater Molluscs – Species selection and results ........................................................................................9 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................9 3.2 Species selection ...........................................................................................................................................9 3.3 Threat status of freshwater molluscs ............................................................................................................11 3.4 Status by taxonomic groups ........................................................................................................................13 3.5 Spatial distribution of species ......................................................................................................................14 3.5.1 Species richness of freshwater molluscs .............................................................................................14 3.5.2 Distribution of threatened species .....................................................................................................16 3.5.3 Distribution of endemic species .........................................................................................................16 3.6 Major threats to freshwater molluscs in Europe ...........................................................................................18 3.7 Population trends ........................................................................................................................................21 4. Terrestrial molluscs – Species selection and results .......................................................................................23 4.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................23 4.2 Species selection .........................................................................................................................................23 4.3 Threat status of terrestrial molluscs ..............................................................................................................24 4.4 Status by taxonomic groups ........................................................................................................................26 4.5 Spatial distribution of species ......................................................................................................................27 4.5.1 Species richness of terrestrial molluscs ...............................................................................................27 4.5.2 Distribution of threatened species .....................................................................................................29 4.5.3 Distribution of endemic species .........................................................................................................31 4.6 Major threats to terrestrial molluscs in Europe ............................................................................................32 4.7 Population trends ........................................................................................................................................36 5. Conservation measures ...................................................................................................................................37 5.1 Protection of habitats and species in Europe................................................................................................37 5.2 Protection of habitats and species in the EU ...............................................................................................37 5.3 Conservation management of molluscs in the EU .......................................................................................38 5.4 Extinction risk versus conservation status ....................................................................................................39 5.5 Red List versus priority for conservation action ...........................................................................................39 5.6