Heat Puts Wild Animals Under Stress

Heat Puts Wild Animals Under Stress

in

Heat and drought are changing living conditions for wildlife in Europe. As streams carry less water, ponds disappear, and forest soils dry out, water is becoming an increasingly vital resource for many animals.

This doesn't just affect birds, hedgehogs, or insects in our cities and gardens. Habitats in Europe's forests, meadows, and wetlands are also under pressure.

 

Drought Hits Europe's Forests

A healthy forest stores enormous amounts of water and creates a relatively cool microclimate through its vegetation and shade. However, prolonged drought alters this system.

When soil moisture decreases, trees and other plants become stressed. Small ponds, water-bearing ditches, and temporary water sources can dry up. This results in the loss of drinking water sources and habitats for numerous species.

The consequences extend far beyond a lack of drinking water: Reduced moisture alters vegetation and food availability and can affect entire food chains. At the same time, dry forests increase the risk of severe wildfires.

 

Europe will experience another severe drought in 2026

Following an already exceptionally dry year in 2025, the problematic trend continued in parts of Europe in 2026.

In June, large parts of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe were drier than the long-term average. Among the countries particularly affected were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and parts of the Balkans.

The rivers also reflected the drought. In large parts of Europe, river flows were below average—including in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

For wildlife, this means that water scarcity is by no means a problem limited to Mediterranean regions.

 

Facts & Figures

95 percent of Europe'
recorded above-average annual temperatures in 2025.

70 percent of European rivers
had lower annual average water levels in 2025 than the long-term average.

In 11 out of 12 months
, river discharge in Europe in 2025 was below average overall.

May and June 2025
saw the lowest river flows across Europe since records began in 1992.

Over 1 million hectares
were burned in 2025 by forest and vegetation fires in Europe—the highest figure on record.

June 2026
once again brought extreme heat and drought to large parts of Europe. Western Europe and large parts of Central and Eastern Europe were drier than usual.

 

What Water Shortages Mean for Wildlife

The effects vary from species to species.

Birds need water for drinking and preening their feathers. Mammals must visit water sources more frequently in hot weather. Amphibians are particularly dependent on moist habitats and small bodies of water. Insects, on the other hand, need safe, shallow access to water.

In the forest, there is another problem: When drought causes stress on the vegetation, the food supply also changes. Fruits, seeds, plants, and insects form the basis of complex food chains.

Water scarcity thus becomes a problem for the entire ecosystem.

 

Even small steps can help

The key task is to preserve natural water cycles and habitats: healthy forests, wetlands, natural streams, unpaved soils, and structurally diverse landscapes can store water and provide refuge.

But you can also help those around you.

A shallow water dish in the garden or on the balcony can provide an additional source of water for birds, hedgehogs, and insects during hot spells. The water should be changed daily, the dish cleaned regularly, and stones or other safe escape routes should be provided for insects.

After all, Europe's rising temperatures don't just affect us humans.

When landscapes dry up, water becomes a matter of survival for Europe's wildlife as well.

Water shortages force mountain huts to end the season early

Water shortages force mountain huts to end the season early

in

Climate change is affecting water supplies in the Alpine region. Tourists are also feeling the impact: Due to water shortages, mountain huts are having to close early more and more often. Thanks to measures such as limiting shower access, increased use of dry toilets, and the cooperation of guests, it is currently still possible to keep all mountain huts open. However, if rainfall continues to be scarce, some huts may have to end the season early.

 

The ongoing drought is also affecting the mountains. A lack of rainfall, drying-up springs, and this year’s meager snowmelt are currently creating a tense situation, particularly at high-altitude Alpine Club huts and in the karst region. Among those currently affected are the Voisthaler Hut (Hochschwab Group), the Pühringer Hut (Totes Gebirge), the Priel Shelter (Totes Gebirge), the Porze Hut (Karnic Main Ridge), and the Freschen House (Bregenzerwald Mountains). Even short-term heavy rainfall often fails to provide the desired relief: the parched soil is frequently unable to absorb enough water.

“For well over 10 years, it has become increasingly clear that many huts that used to have sufficient water are now facing declining water supplies,” explains Georg Unterberger, head of the Huts and Trails Department at the Austrian Alpine Club. “These are direct consequences of climate change.” According to Unterberger’s assessment, the situation could worsen further in the coming decades: The vast majority of the Alpine Club’s high-altitude huts are likely to be increasingly affected by water shortages.

To reduce water consumption at its mountain huts, the German Alpine Club is currently testing the use of dry toilets. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is providing 148,685.00 euros in funding for this project in the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria.

 

High-Alpine Region Has Been the Focus of DBU Projects for Many Years

The effects of climate change are already clearly noticeable in the Alpine region, explains DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde. This is exemplified by water availability: “In times of melting glaciers and declining snowfall, we are repeatedly experiencing periods of water scarcity in the high mountains that were previously unheard of,” says Bonde. “To mitigate these effects while preserving the Alpine region as a place for recreation and experiencing nature, those who manage the region rely on exemplary and financially viable solutions.” In previous projects, the DBU has already laid the groundwork for sustainable water management in the high mountains—for example, through the funding program “Recommendations for Managing Water Resources at Alpine Mountain Huts.”

 

Water shortage forces ski resorts to end the season early

The current project at the “Neue Prager Hütte” in East Tyrol builds on the insights gained from this: The hut’s operators have already had to suspend operations twice during the summer peak season in recent years. By early August, the water reservoirs—fed by meltwater and spring water—were empty. As is often the case with mountain huts, flush toilets accounted for by far the largest share of water consumption. They were therefore taken out of service at the Neue Prager Hütte for the 2026 summer season and replaced with dry toilets. This saves the Neue Prager Hütte about 1,000 liters of water per day. These savings can extend the hut’s operating season by weeks during dry mountain summers.

 

How the Austrian Alpine Club Is Responding to Water Shortages in the Mountains

“Water is the lifeblood of a mountain hut. If the water supply is cut off, operations quickly reach their limits,” Unterberger emphasizes. To ensure a steady water supply, affected Alpine Club huts are implementing various water-conservation measures. These include, for example, temporarily or completely closing showers, issuing shower tokens for a fee, limiting usage times, or, if necessary, closing washrooms. In addition, dry toilets and water-saving fixtures are increasingly being used. Furthermore, the use of existing springs is being optimized, water storage tanks are being expanded, and additional options for using rainwater are being explored.

“It is important to clearly identify the root cause of the current water shortage: the climate crisis. For decades, we have been pointing out that it is affecting the Alpine region disproportionately. The current situation is therefore no surprise; rather, we are now facing the consequences of a trend that has long been foreseeable.”

Georg Unterberger

Through its climate strategy, the Austrian Alpine Club is raising awareness and working toward the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2033.

Despite the challenges, no Alpine Club hut has had to end its season early this season due to a lack of water. However, if the drought continues into August, it cannot be ruled out at this time that some huts may have to close early.

July 2026: Climate records in Western Europe and in sea temperatures

July 2026: Climate records in Western Europe and in sea temperatures

in

Never before have so many people in France been forced to leave their homes due to wildfires. The number of heat-related deaths in Europe had already reached 10,000 by June. Large parts of Europe are suffering from extreme drought and its associated consequences. The July data from the Copernicus Climate Bulletin, published by the European weather service, illustrates what we are experiencing firsthand. Air temperatures in Western Europe were higher than ever before during the period from June to July, and global sea surface temperatures also reached record highs in July.

Here is an overview of the key figures:

July 2026 was the second-warmest July on record globally, tied with July 2024.
Western Europe experienced its warmest June–July period since records began.
The sea surface temperature over the oceans outside the polar regions was the highest ever recorded in July, due in part to developing El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific.
In July 2026, Arctic sea ice extent was the sixth lowest on record for that month, with sea ice coverage in the northern Barents Sea around Spitsbergen and Franz Josef Land being particularly low.
The extent of Antarctic sea ice in July was the fifth lowest on record, with sea ice coverage below average in most ocean regions except for the Amundsen Sea.

 

Dry Conditions and Drought

In July 2026, above-average dry conditions prevailed across much of Western Europe as well as large parts of Central and Eastern Europe, particularly on the Iberian Peninsula, in France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary; England, Wales, Ireland, the Benelux countries, and Iceland were also affected.

These dry conditions, which had already set in during the spring in some regions, led to persistent, stable, and critical drought conditions across much of Europe and, according to the European Drought Observatory, contributed to these conditions worsening further in Central and Western Europe through mid-July. In the ERA5 land dataset, average soil moisture values in Western Europe were significantly lower than those in July 2022, the last summer in which severe drought prevailed throughout Western Europe.

River levels in large parts of the arid regions fell well below average or were extremely low, which had an impact on numerous sectors.

Europe's Rivers Are Running Dry

Forest fires and crop failures

These conditions had a negative impact on agriculture—massive crop failures are being reported in many places—and contributed to an unusually high level of wildfire activity in Western Europe, fueled by an abundance of dry biomass following a wet winter and an early spring that promoted plant growth, as well as by the subsequent summer drought. In France, fires in the Gironde region destroyed nearly 42,000 ha—the largest area ever recorded for France in the European Forest Fire Information System of the Copernicus Civil Protection Service.

Spain also experienced numerous fires, particularly in the central and eastern regions. According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, daily emissions from wildfires in France on July 24 reached a level that was likely a record for this time of year. By the end of July, the total annual amount was already the highest on record for this time of year, while for Spain it ranked second, behind 2022.

A Wide Gap Between the West and the East

The average temperature over continental Europe in July 2026 was 20.49 °C, which is 0.66 °C above the 1991–2020 average, making this July the eleventh-warmest July on record in the ERA5 dataset.

This relatively low ranking followed the second-warmest June on record in Europe and reflected a stark regional contrast: The significantly above-average temperatures in Western Europe were partially offset by below-average temperatures in large parts of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.

 

 

As was already the case in June, temperatures in France, Germany, northeastern Spain, England, Switzerland, and western Italy were well above average, generally by 3–5 °C.
The warm weather was due to the heat wave that hit the region in the first half of July and again toward the end of the month.

According to national data, France recorded its warmest July on record, and Spain recorded its second-warmest. Preliminary statistics for the United Kingdom indicate that July 2026 was the second-warmest nationwide, the warmest in Wales, and the second-warmest in England.

The regional differences in July were related to a high-pressure system northwest of Great Britain and Ireland. Warm air from North Africa flowed northward along its western flank, while cooler polar air flowed southward along its eastern flank. In June, the center of the high-pressure system was further east, over France.

 

Outside Europe, drier-than-average conditions prevailed in parts of northern Canada, the central United States, the Maghreb, parts of the Horn of Africa, Siberia, South and Central Asia, parts of inland China, and parts of Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia.

 

Link

Copernicus Climate Bulletin, July 2026

U.S.: When the Forest Doesn't Recover After a Fire

U.S.: When the Forest Doesn't Recover After a Fire

in

Why Extreme Wildfires Permanently Change Landscapes

For thousands of years, wildfires have been a natural part of many regions around the world. Fire clears away dead material, creates new habitats, and can even be a prerequisite for the reproduction of certain plant species. However, the scale of many of today’s wildfires is altering this natural dynamic. Increasingly large and intense fires can destroy forests so severely that they can no longer recover on their own.

 

The problem begins after the fire

After a typical wildfire, there are often enough surviving trees and so-called fire refuges left behind. Seeds are carried from there to the burned areas, and a new forest can grow.

The situation is different in the case of particularly intense fires.

When large contiguous areas are completely destroyed, the seed trees are missing from within them. At the same time, young trees today sometimes have to grow under significantly more difficult conditions: higher temperatures, longer dry spells, and water shortages reduce their chances of survival.

As a result, a forest that has been temporarily burned can become a permanently altered landscape.

 

From Forest to Grassland and Scrubland

Scientists have observed, particularly in the western part of North America, that some heavily burned forest areas no longer regenerate into their original forest state. Instead, grasses and shrubs are able to spread. Researchers refer to this as “forest conversion”—a permanent transformation of the ecosystem.

A combination of several factors is particularly problematic:

Very large and intense wildfires
Lack of seed-bearing trees in the burned areas
Heat and drought following the fire
Repeated fires occurring in quick succession
Spread of highly competitive or invasive plant species

The more often such factors occur together, the more difficult natural reforestation becomes.

 

More than 10,000 study sites show the trend

A large-scale study of coniferous forest regeneration in the western United States analyzed more than 10,000 sites following a total of 334 wildfires.

The result: The ability of forests to regenerate after fires has declined over the past few decades for eight dominant conifer species studied. Both the intensity of the fire and the climatic conditions that follow are critical factors. Particularly severe fires reduce the number of available seeds. At the same time, warmer and drier conditions make it more difficult for new trees to grow.

 

Reforestation Is Becoming a Key Issue for the Future

This also changes the role of forestry.

In the future, it may no longer be enough to simply plant the same tree species that grew there before after a wildfire. New forests will have to adapt to a climate that is likely to be significantly warmer and, in some cases, drier during their lifetime.

What is needed, therefore, are more resilient mixed forests, a targeted selection of suitable tree species and source regions, and forest management practices that reduce the intensity of future fires.

After all, a tree planted today should not only survive under the conditions of 2026—but, if possible, also in 2070 or 2100.

 

Not all fires are the same

The crucial question, therefore, is not whether there are fires in our forests. Fire has always been—and continues to be—an integral part of many natural ecosystems. What matters is how large, how intense, and how frequently the fires burn—and what conditions the forest faces afterward.

The wildfire itself may last a few days or weeks. Its ecological consequences, however, can remain visible for decades or even centuries.

Conclusio

The growing threat of extreme wildfires presents us with a new challenge: Not every forest that burns today will automatically become a forest again.

Forest protection, therefore, has long since ceased to mean merely preventing or extinguishing fires. It is increasingly about making forests resilient enough to survive fires, regenerate afterward—and still have a future even under the climatic conditions of the coming decades.