Brussels, 19/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - In Europe, 9.2% of wild bee species face extinction and 5.2% are considered likely to be threatened in the near future, reveals a study published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The main reason behind this alarming situation is the destruction of the bees' habitats.
This is the first assessment of all 1,965 species of wild bees and was published today as part of the IUCN European Red List of Bees and the Status and Trends of European Pollinators (STEP) project, both funded by the European Commission.
Changing agricultural practices, for instance, intensive silage production, and increased farming intensification have led to greater use of insecticides, herbicides and fertilisers which bring significant loss and reduction in the quality of habitat, the main threats to the survival of the bees. Climate change is another risk factor for most bee species, in particular bumblebees, 25.8% of the species of which are under threat of extinction.
The authors of the report, therefore, call for greater attention to bees in the management of protected areas and in agricultural policies in Europe. They also emphasise the need for stronger support for bee taxonomists and survey programmes at national and European levels, in order to ensure long-term monitoring of the status of bees and effective conservation action.
Pollination is one of the services that nature provides for free, said Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella. “If we don't address the reasons behind this decline in wild bees, and act urgently to stop it, we could pay a very heavy price indeed”, he warned.
The report shows that 7.7% of the species have declining populations, 12.6% are stable and 0.7% are increasing. Population trends for the remaining 79% of bee species are unknown.
The report is a call to action and comes as EU biodiversity strategy which has the aim of “halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible” is under review. It estimates the value of crop pollination provided by bees in Europe to be worth €22 billion every year. (Aminata Niang)