Italy's largest environmentalist group on Thursday urged more action to save Italian animal and plant species from extinction.
''There has been a lot of progress in recent years but more energetic action is needed unless we want to see our amazing heritage of flora and fauna decimated,'' Legambiente said on World Biodiversity Day.
The loggerhead turtle, monk seal, Mediterranean dolphin, dusky grouper ('cernia'), sturgeon and otter were among the marine life Legambiente said was under threat from indiscriminate fishing practices and erosion of their habitats.
Squirrels, dormice, several rare birds and Sardinia's famed mountain sheep, the mouflon, are also dwindling to ''dangerous'' levels, the organisation said.
But it is not just animal life that is endangered by human activity and climate change, Legambiente said.
Rare plants like the Sicilian fir, the Sardinian currant and the sea marigold also need more protection, it said.
''About a third of Europe's animal species and half the continent's plant species can still be found in Italy but that situation is at risk,'' said Legambiente head Antonio Nicoletti.
''We've done a lot with our nature reserves, wildlife parks and wetland sanctuaries but the government needs to put more money into these areas and set up new ones,'' he said.
More than 250 Italian species are threatened, Nicoletti said - 92% animal and 8% plant.
According to the latest global survey, one in three of the world's amphibians, one in four mammals, one in eight birds and 70% of the Earth's plants are endangered, Legambiente said.
