The International Union for the Conservation of Nature assessed the status of 700 European beetles that live in old and hollowed wood. About one-fifth of Europe’s wood beetles are at risk of extinction due to a widespread decline in ancient trees, according to European Red List of Saproxylic Beetles report which suggests their demise could have devastating knock-on effects for other species which consume them too.
Saproxylic beetles are undoubtedly one of the largest species of beetles in Europe. Saproxylic beetles are species which are involved in or dependent on wood decay and therefore play an important role in decomposition processes and thus for recycling nutrients in natural ecosystems.
A high proportion of threatened and Near Threatened saproxylic beetle species are endemic to either Europe or EU, highlighting the responsibility that European countries have to protect the entire global populations of these species.
“Some beetle species require old trees that need hundreds of years to grow, so conservation efforts need to focus on long-term strategies to protect old trees across different landscapes in Europe, to ensure that the vital ecosystem services provided by these beetles continue,” said Jane Smart, director of the IUCN Global Species Programme.
Beetles are incredibly beautiful interesting things – if people stopped and looked at them and appreciated them, they’d realize they’re just as worthy of conservation as elephants and tigers.