Status: 03/16/2022 2:38 p.m
According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), more than a quarter of almost 6750 newly assessed insect species in Germany are endangered. These include dragonflies, mayflies and many species of beetles.
A new volume of the Red List documents an alarming decline in insects in Germany. Overall, it is about 26.2 percent of the species that were examined for the third and final volume of the Red List of invertebrates, said the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).
Among the species that have now been evaluated, beetles have the largest share with more than 5600 species. The BfN explained that the stocks of a few insect species had increased. However, the declines in many species clearly predominate. In the case of water-bound species in particular, the proportion of endangered species remains high.
Negative development continues
“The new Red List confirms the negative trend that has been shown in the first two volumes,” said BfN President Sabine Riewenherm. A total of more than 15,000 invertebrate species, including 14,000 insect species, were examined in the three volumes. Of these, more than 4,600 species are endangered. “That means: 29.6 percent were classified as ‘Critically Endangered’, ‘Endangered’, ‘Endangered’ or ‘Endangerment of Unknown Extent’,” said the head of the Federal Office.
According to the BfN, the proportion of endangered species in the new volume is particularly high for stoneflies (46.4 percent) and mayflies (40.5 percent). Species from these groups prefer near-natural bodies of water and shore areas. Despite the improved water quality over the past 25 years, many stocks have not yet fully recovered. “The high proportion of endangered species among aquatic insects shows an urgent need for action,” said the BfN President. Dragonflies, stoneflies and mayflies need better protection in their habitats.
Many beetles endangered
The beetle groups with a particularly large number of endangered species included leaf beetles, weevils and scarab beetles, which also include stag beetles. Many beetle species are tied to specific biotopes. Changes in use and the loss of habitats are primarily responsible for the decline.
For example, there have been significant population drops in the horse dung beetle Geotrupes stercorarius. It used to be one of the most common large dung beetle species in Germany. The beetle is now highly endangered in Germany, and the very strong decline in the species has not yet been explained, according to the BfN. The decline in the rare soft bug species Phytocoris hirsutulus is mainly due to the aging and loss of meadow orchards.
Further evaluations will follow
Red lists describe the endangerment of the various animal, plant and fungal species and are therefore a kind of inventory of biodiversity. They are published by the BfN about every ten years. 130 volunteer experts worked on the new volume. An evaluation of all Red Lists published since 2009 is to follow.