Fire salamander acutely threatened by water shortage

The populations of fire salamanders are also acutely threatened in Saxony due to the heat and drought. The Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) referred to its fire salamander monitoring. Small bodies of water in which the animals deposit their larvae in early spring are particularly affected. "These sensitive habitats are drying up more and more frequently - with fatal consequences for the larvae," it said.

Waters dry up, fire salamander larvae die

In concrete terms, reference was made to an example from the district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains. "During an investigation, we found over 600 fire salamander larvae in a small stream. Just two weeks later, the watercourse had largely dried up - all the offspring had been lost," reported Lorenz Laux, fire salamander monitoring officer. BUND called for measures to retain water and protect water bodies.

"The EU Water Framework Directive states that water bodies must have reached an ecologically good status by 2027. Currently, 93 percent of water bodies in Saxony do not meet this requirement," emphasized Felix Ekardt, head of BUND. Instead of supporting the municipalities in this mammoth task, the Free State had cut the water maintenance allowance in the adopted budget.