We recently talked about the sheer infinite variety of our pollinator species. From the birds to the bees and from beetles to bats, animals do their part in the precious pollination process. Not all is well in the animal land, though. Many pollinator species are now rare or threatened. If we don’t know they’re there, we can’t protect them and may not even realise if they’re finally gone.
Bees
There are about two thousand wild bee species in Europe. Of these, over 9% face extinction in Europe. For over half of bee species, there is too little information to determine whether they are threatened. More than a fifth of threatened bee species are endemic to Europe, which means that they are found nowhere else in the world. European countries therefore have a responsibility to protect the populations of these species.
The main threat to European bees is habitat loss due to agriculture intensification (changes in agricultural practices, including the use of pesticides and fertilisers). Other risks are urban development because of the growing human population, increased frequency of fires partly as a result of higher temperatures and other problems relating to human-made climate change.
Hipparchia statilinus, the tree grayling
Butterflies
For butterflies, the numbers are unfortunately similar to the situation regarding bees. About 9% of the butterfly species are threatened with extinction at the European level as a result of many environmental pressures. These threats include habitat loss and degradation due to changes in agricultural management. A further 10% of butterflies are regarded as near threatened, which indicates that their numbers are also at risk.
In Europe, there are 482 species of butterflies, 451 of which are also found in the 27 member states of the EU. Almost a third of these species are endemic, which means that they are unique to Europe. Studies show that about a third of the European butterflies have declining populations, while around half of the species are stable. For one tenth of butterflies, the current information is too limited to define their overall population trend.
Hoverfly (Syrphida spp.) on Nashi pear
Hoverflies
The populations of all hoverfly species native to or naturalised in Europe (a total of 890 species) were assessed. Overall, 37.2% (314 species) of the European hoverfly species are considered threatened (critical, endangered or vulnerable) in Europe. A further 6.9% of species are considered near threatened. Only just over half of species are assessed as least concern or non-threatened. The status of remaining species could not be determined.
The main threat to European hoverflies was found to be the impacts of intensive agriculture (including extensive livestock farming and ranching). Other risks include commercial forestry or residential and commercial development (tourism development and housing development). Natural system modifications (such as fires, increased by climate change, and the exploitation of water sources for dams or agriculture) and changes to habitat management (more mechanical and on a larger scale) also play a part.
Conclusion
As we learned in a previous blog post, insects are not the only pollinators, however in Europe, pollinators are mostly insects from the groups described above. Since the life cycles of animals are connected in their natural environment, their extinction will also harm plants and eventually our food supply. Knowing these facts, RestPoll’s mission is to ensure the survival of our vulnerable pollinators.
