Conservation strategy for protected and strictly protected hoverfly (Insecta: Diptera: Syrphidae) species in Serbia – Case study

Project aim: The definition of major hoverfly biodiversity threats based on targeted assessments, and the development of appropriate conservation management plans for active protection of species and their habitats, that will reduce threats and mitigate biodiversity loss.

 

About the project: Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) have been chosen as a model organism to develop effective conservation strategy with the focus on the vital role of insects and plants in the structure and functioning of ecological systems. More than half of a century of faunistic research carried out at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, has resulted in the compilation of a comprehensive database on the hoverfly fauna of the Balkan Peninsula, making it available for use in rapid assessment of both regional and European-level issues relating to habitat and microhabitat. Stable systematics, ease of survey, wide distribution and niche specialization, make hoverflies effective ecological indicators that give maximal information about ecosystem preservation. This project has been directed towards the monitoring of 44 protected and 33 strictly protected species, both in unprotected and protected areas, in order to establish conservation measures in habitats with the largest number of endangered species. Results have contributed to the general knowledge of this insect group, in terms of distribution, population dynamics, ecology, insect-plant relationship, and to the European DNA barcode for hoverflies. Classic taxonomy in combination with genetic and morphometric methods have resulted in the discovery of hidden biodiversity in Serbia. Major hoverfly biodiversity threats in Serbia have been defined, and appropriate conservation strategy for protected species has been developed.