The status of mammals in Europe was assessed according to IUCN Red List Criteria and regional Red Listing guidelines. We found that nearly one in six (15%) of Europe’s 231 mammal species were threatened (IUCN categories CR, EN, VU), with a further 9% considered Near Threatened. Marine mammals faced particularly high levels of threat, with 22% of marine species (n=27) versus 14% of terrestrial species (n=204) assessed as threatened. More than a quarter (27%) of mammals had declining populations. A further 32% were stable and 8% increasing; 33% were of unknown population trend. Terrestrial mammal biodiversity was greatest in south-eastern Europe (the Balkan Peninsula, Hungary, and Romania) and in the mountainous regions of Mediterranean and temperate Europe. Habitat loss and degradation was the greatest threat to terrestrial mammals in Europe, although human disturbance, pollution, accidental mortality (e.g., secondary poisoning, vehicle collisions), overexploitation and invasive species were also important. The main threats to marine mammals were accidental mortality (e.g., fisheries bycatch), pollution and overexploitation. EU Member States have committed to halt biodiversity loss by 2010, but the evidence from this study suggests that this target is unlikely to be met and significant actions must take place to halt the decline of mammal biodiversity in Europe. The results presented here provide a baseline against which future progress can be measured
The study explores a latent structure of perceived impacts on the country. Perceived controllability of the context shapes individual plans and forms resource for dealing with changes. The direct and indirect exposure to global challenges (e.g., terrorist attacks) can change individual views of the controllability of the context and lead to negative psychological consequences. On the basis of the analysis, a set of perceived impacts was included in the investigation – impacts on a person, people of Latvia, its political institutions, and global players and threats – as factors representing different levels of ecological systems. Six hundred forty-seven university students from Riga, Valmiera, and Daugavpils participated in the study. The Future of Country Questionnaire was modified and used for the assessment of perceived impacts on Latvia. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence for four main factors representing perceived impacts: personal control, political power, globalization, and global threats. The latter factor involved military tension and terrorism. Revealed links between control beliefs confirmed the interconnectedness of sub- and super-ordinated ecological systems. Cooperation with other people can facilitate the sense of controllability of the macro-societal context. and Tato studie zkoumá latentní strukturu vnímaných dopadů na stát. Vnímaná ovladatelnost kontextu dotváří jednotlivé plány a formuje zdroje pro vyrovnávání se se změnami. Přímé a nepřímé vystavení globálním výzvám (např. teroristickým útokům) může změnit individuální pohled na kontrolovatelnost kontextu a vést k negativním psychologickým důsledkům. Na základě této analýzy byla do šetření zahrnuta sada zkoumaných vnímaných dopadů – na danou osobu, obyvatele Lotyšska, politické instituce a globální aktéry a hrozby, coby faktory reprezentující různé úrovně vnějších systémů. Studie se zúčastnilo 647 univerzitních studentů z Rigy, Valmiery a Daugavpils. K hodnocení vnímaných vlivů na Lotyšsko byl použit modifikovaný dotazník Budoucnost země. Exploratorní a konfirmační faktorová analýza podpořila čtyři hlavní faktory reprezentující vnímané dopady: osobní kontrolu, politickou moc, globalizaci a globální hrozby, přičemž poslední faktor zahrnoval vojenské napětí a terorismus. Zjištěné souvislosti přesvědčení o kontrolovatelnosti potvrdily provázanost mezi podřízenými a nadřízenými vnějšími systémy. Spolupráce s ostatními lidmi může posílit pocit vlivu (kontroly).