Alarming Surge in At-Risk Non-Managed Bee Species Throughout European Nations

The count of wild bee species in European nations experiencing dying out has increased twofold in the last ten years, while the total of threatened butterfly species has nearly doubled.

This dire scenario for crucial pollinating insects was unveiled by research studies for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least over 170 bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in European nations.

The count of butterfly species at risk of extinction in the European continent has risen from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.

“Beyond their beauty and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food supplies and our economies – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with risks growing for butterfly species and crucial native bee species.”

The causes of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the threat of extinctions at local level.

Global heating is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly types in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – about twice as many as a ten years ago.

As many as 90% of plants that flower in Europe rely on insect pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, wild bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees die out, many native plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”

Fifteen species of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the mainland and the sole species of this biological genus in European nations, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification nearest to disappearance in the wild.

Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain tops are highly susceptible to global heating as they have to climb upward as their environments become hotter but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.

In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are endangered by intense wildfires and drought.

In the meantime, in the Far North, global warming is causing the timberline to move north by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush taking over wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.

“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly across the European continent because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to reverse the decrease in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. We hope they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”

As stated by Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as growers developing flower-rich margins around their farmland.

the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.

“Urgent and collective action is necessary to address this threat. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has established an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and cooperation with participating nations to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.

The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the first EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional crucial group of pollinators. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly types in European nations were threatened with extinction.