The Scottish Executive has been urged to act to ensure the protection of a number of species of wildlife.

Conservation group, the World Wildlife Fund, has launched a campaign aimed at securing the future of 10 of the most threatened species in Europe and warned that three of the species can be found in Scotland.

It said stocks of Atlantic salmon have virtually halved in the past 20 years and the harbour porpoise and marsh fritillary butterfly have also come under pressure.

The porpoise which can still be found in a number of places, including Shetland, has come under threat from pollution and over fishing.

WWF Scotland's Senior Policy Officer, Elizabeth Leighton, said: "WWF believes these species provide a snapshot of a bleak picture for wildlife across Europe.

"Stocks of north east Atlantic salmon at sea returning to their home waters have declined from 6.5 million in the 1970s to 3.5 million in the 1990s.

Falling tree

The warning from the conservation group coincides with the news that a rare Spanish goat, the Pyranean Ibex, became extinct at the beginning of this month.

Surviving all other threats, the last one was apparently killed by a falling tree.

WWF is calling on the government to widen the number of areas submitted as candidates for the highest level of protection under European law.

Simon Pepper, Director of WWF Scotland, said that since 1992 governments of the European Union have had an excellent conservation law available to them to prevent the decline in certain species, but have broken all deadlines for putting the law into practice.

Government failure

He added: "The UK governments, including the Scottish Parliament, are already being taken to court over their failure to designate enough sites.

"This delay not only places important habitats and species at immediate risk but reduces opportunities for local communities to benefit from European funding."

The Scottish Executive says it is considering which other sites should be put on the list and has asked for further advice from its agency, Scottish Natural Heritage.

The other species on the WWF endangered list include the Iberian lynx, the brown bear, the monk seal, the loggerhead turtle, the freshwater mussel, and the lady's slipper orchid.