Reacción a "Most species of wild bees are in decline in Europe, according to an analysis covering the last century"

Is the study of good quality? Are the conclusions supported by sound data?

“Yes, the study is of good quality, very interesting, and the conclusions are supported by sound data. They have worked with a large number of records of pollinators, bees and hoverflies (hoverflies), and their methodology is sound, which supports their conclusions.”

How does this work fit in with the existing evidence?

“The study aligns with the widespread concern amongst experts and international organisations (such as the European Union or the FAO, for example) regarding the increasing decline of insects and, in particular, pollinators (especially bees) and its implications for biodiversity, the stability of terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, global food supplies and, consequently, for us.”

What is the current status of wild bees in Europe according to the study?

“According to this study, the persistence of bee and hoverfly species at European level is relatively high, with species richness largely stable across all biogeographical regions, except for slight declines in the Atlantic and Continental regions, and recent increases in the Alpine region, although most bee species and approximately half of the hoverfly species experienced a decline in their range, with their characteristics having no influence, except for a slight negative trend in cold-adapted bees and more pronounced declines in parasitic species and food specialists.”

Are there any significant limitations that need to be taken into account?

“As this is a study covering the whole of Europe and the major biogeographical regions, the analysis does not go down to a medium or small scale, which homogenises different territories within the same region, as is the case, for example, on the Iberian Peninsula, which is bioclimatically and biogeographically very diverse, with more distinguishing factors than the authors consider to exist in the regions it is grouped with, and which therefore influence species richness. In fact, on the Iberian Peninsula, the high number of endemic bee species—as the authors point out—whose populations are in decline is not made clear; nor is it entirely clear why the study concludes that species richness in the Alpine region has recently increased, as this is a highly sensitive area with a large number of threatened species.

The final sentence of the press release should be clarified: what the authors of the study conclude is that most species persist at the European level and that regional species richness has varied only slightly; however, many specific species, particularly bees, have suffered substantial declines in their presence and population sizes, which is highly significant for their conservation"

What are the implications?

“The need for further studies in more restricted regions that complement and take into account local climatic variations—which influence regional distribution and diversity—using smaller-scale approaches, as well as the immediate implementation of the necessary and appropriate conservation measures.”