More than one third of hoverfly species face threat of extinction in Europe
- Due to intensive agriculture, more than one third of hoverfly species - expert pollinating flies - face the threat of extinction in Europe.
- Similar to Wasp , hoverflies are actually unusual flies.
- According to IUCN , hoverflies are crucial to the food security of our planet because they form the second most important pollinating insect population in the world after bees. More than one-third of hoverfly species—flies that help pollinate—are threatened to extinction in Europe, especially due to intensive agriculture, according to a study published on Tuesday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. .
is similar to a wasp, and hoverflies are actually special flies. Their larvae feed mainly on aphid , so they are involved in controlling insects that destroy crops. As adults, aphid flies fly from one flower to another, thus playing an important role in pollination and helping to increase agricultural yields.
Like bees, hoverflies are in danger, and this is the first European assessment by IUCN on the basis of the request of European Commission .
International Union for Conservation of Nature announced in a statement that assessments showed that 314 of the 890 species of hoverflies in Europe were "the risk of being fragile, endangered or endangered."
IUCN spokesman Matthias Fiechter told AFP that according to IUCN, 45 of the 890 species have “under-recorded ”, meaning there is currently not enough information to determine their status.
40% of hoverfly species are threatened
He added that 35.28% to 40.33% of hoverfly species are threatened, of which 37% are the most likely percentage.
According to the IUCN, hoverflies are crucial to the food security of our planet because they form the second most important pollinating insect population in the world after bees.
Intensive agriculture, the use of dangerous pesticides, unsustainable logging, urban development and climate change are the main threats to their survival.
IUCN Director-General Bruno Oberle stressed in the same statement: "To reverse the decline of insectivoral disease, we urgently need to change all sectors of our economy, especially agriculture, to make these sectors sustainable and positively impact nature." Francis Gilbert, co-chair of the IUCN Species Survival Committee's Carnivorous Expert Group, said that the main way to help slow down the decline of insectivoral populations is to protect habitats.
The same expert said the most pressing measures are designed to protect dead and old trees that have tooth decay, from which hoverfly larvae can feed, as are many other threatened species.
According to this study, more than a quarter (244) of the species evaluated are affected by the degradation or alteration of their habitats under the effects of climate change, especially after vegetation fires become increasingly frequent.
Luohua News Agency
