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ARCHIVED - Malaga fire threatens endangered species only found in Sierra Bermeja
The forest fire in Andalucía region this week may make indigenous species extinct
At least 14 different species of animals endemic to the Sierra Bermeja (Málaga) are in danger of extinction due to the wildfire raging across the area this week. The Sierra Bermeja forest fire, which is one of the biggest and most ferocious ever to hit Spain, has now been brought under control, but it has destroyed 9,670 hectares of flora and fauna and has “highly threatened” the survival of several invertebrate species.
Felipe Román-Requena, a graduate in Biology from the University of Granada and an expert in the fauna to be found in the Sierra Bermeja, explains that of the 1,000 species to be found there, fourteen are exclusive to the Sierra and “are threatened and have possibly been significantly affected”.
The forest fire is believed to have been started intentionally when a pine cone was set alight. The fire was finally controlled by fire services on Tuesday thanks to recent rainfall in the area.
The fourteen species threatened by the fire include certain types of Nemata (nematode worms and soil worms), Coleoptera (insects and beetles), Neuroptera (insects such as lion ants), Plecoptera (like stoneflies), and snails.
Mr Román-Requena insisted that “they are in danger of extinction because they are subject to an event like this” but admitted that “nobody can know if they have become extinct because nobody has any real information on the current status of these species”.
“These species have been resisting forest fires for millions of years and have probably not become extinct,” he continued.
Worse than the fire, Mr Román-Requena states that the biggest problem for the regeneration of fauna in the Sierra Bermeja is the threat of hunting in the area: “The Sierra Bermeja must be protected urgently. It is of the utmost importance that no hunting is allowed anywhere in the perimeter, because there are people waiting to shoot the animals with shotguns.”
Image: UME
