All EU countries must initiate pollinator monitoring. Now an international team of researchers coordinated by the EU Joint Research Centre has proposed a framework for such a programme to the European Commission. “Monitoring must begin urgently because we need to compare trends before and after 2030,” says Erik Öckinger, a researcher at SLU and part of the the team.
Europe is home to a rich diversity of pollinators, with over 2,000 species of bees and nearly 500 species of butterflies. These insects play a crucial role in the ecosystem by pollinating 78 percent of wild flowering plants and contributing over 15 billion euros annually to the market value of European crops. Despite their importance, research shows that many of these species are declining in number.
The recently adopted EU Regulation on Nature Restoration includes a specific goal to reverse the decline of pollinators by 2030. In addition to targeted conservation and restoration actions, this means that all EU countries also need to monitor pollinator populations and diversity to check if the goal is being met. The proposal to the European Commission is an important step in this direction.
Most importantly, standardised methods will be implemented in all EU Member States. This will provide more reliable trend estimates.
The monitoring programme will include wild bees, butterflies, hoverflies, moths, and selected threatened species. According to the expert group, light traps are the best way to monitor the presence and diversity of moths. For other groups, the proposal suggests transect walks, where surveyors note pollinators along a set path. Rare and threatened species will be monitored with specific methods tailored to each species.
“I have mainly contributed to the development of indicators to assess trends in biodiversity, particularly in relation to EU agricultural policy. For example, large-scale trends in pollinator populations are not sufficient, so we suggest that this should be complemented by short-term monitoring (5-10 years) at specific sites where particular agricultural practices are in place,” says Erik Öckinger.
René van der Wal, an expert on social dimensions of citizen science at SLU, has also contributed to the proposal.
“Citizen science will play an important role in this initiative. We mapped out where such volunteer-based contributions would make a big difference, and what needs doing to mobilise these. One of the biggest opportunities lie with the farming community, either by directly involving them or through collaboration with naturalists, and together collect valuable data and raise awareness about the importance of pollinators,” he says.
Especially in northern and western Europe, where citizen science is already well established, way of working is expected to have a significant impact. Light traps, for example, could be managed by volunteers without specialized knowledge: A small LED light trap runs through the night; in the morning, all moths are photographed with an app for quick identification and then released.
Most butterflies can be identified in the field, but hoverflies and bees require laboratory work with access to collections and taxonomic expertise. This will be a challenge due to the shortage of taxonomists. Therefore, the proposal includes a plan to increase the number of professional taxonomists.
The programme will also evaluate new technologies, such as DNA barcoding, where each species can be identified via short DNA segments. Each species has its own DNA barcode, much like each person has a fingerprint. Rapid advancements are also being made in AI interpretation of images and sound.
The Monitoring Programme will also provide crucial insights into the threats facing pollinators. For instance, agriculture can harm insects through habitat destruction and exposure to toxic pesticides. Other threats are forestry practices, climate change and urbanization.
“We already know these threats exist, but the proposed monitoring scheme will help assess their relative importance across various landscapes and regions in Europe. With enhanced information, it becomes easier to identify ways to support pollinators in these environments,” says Erik Öckinger.
And perhaps other insects can also benefit from the EU-wide monitoring. One assumption in the proposal is that pollinators are a good 'umbrella' group for monitoring, as the threats are likely to be similar to those affecting all, or at least most, insect species in general.
René van der Wal
Professor of Environmental Citizen Science
Department of Ecology
rene.van.der.wal@slu.se