Cyprus is home to 27 European endemic moth species, a fact which places the country among the six in Europe where more than 20 such species have been recorded, according to the new ‘European Red List of Moths’, presented by the European Commission on Monday.
According to the report, the available data for these 27 species in Cyprus are considered insufficient to fully assess their risk of extinction. Along with Cyprus, more than 20 European endemic species classified as data deficient are recorded in Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Portugal.
In a press release published on Monday, the Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment said that this is the first comprehensive assessment of the extinction risk facing moths at European level, noting that this group of pollinators is coming under increasing pressure.
Nearly 12% at risk in the EU
According to the report, a total of 3,082 species were assessed at European level, including 704 endemic species, while 2,828 species were assessed in the EU-27, including 488 endemic species. The assessment was based on the categories and criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
The findings show that 10.8% of the species assessed in Europe are considered threatened, with the share rising to 11.9% in the EU-27. Species classified as data deficient account for 23.6% at European level and 17.9% in the EU.
The Commission summarised the findings by noting that nearly one in nine moth species in Europe and almost 12% in the EU are threatened with extinction, while for around one in four species in Europe there is insufficient information on their population status, distribution and ecology.
Among other measures, the report recommends the development of long-term monitoring programmes, increased field surveys and broader geographical coverage of data, as well as further research on threatened species and those for which the available information is insufficient.