Worrying Surge in At-Risk Native Bee Types Throughout Europe

The number of non-managed bee species in European nations facing extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the total of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.

This dire scenario for crucial pollinating species was revealed by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.

The total of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the earlier research, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.

In addition to their beauty and cultural value, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with risks growing for butterflies and vital non-managed bee species.”

The causes of the rapid recent declines are the continuing damage or destruction of habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the threat of disappearances in specific areas.

Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: 52% of all threatened butterflies in European nations are imperilled by the climate emergency – about double the number as a previous decade.

Nearly ninety percent of plants that flower in European nations rely on insect pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, non-managed bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”

Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, known for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the mainland and the only species of this biological genus in Europe, is now assessed as critically endangered – the scientific category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.

Butterfly species that are solely present on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their habitats become hotter but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.

In the Mediterranean area, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by intense drought and wildfires.

In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is causing the tree line to move north by dozens of meters each year, with bushes taking over wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the frozen water to graze Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.

“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these reasons,” remarked Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. It is hoped they can obtain the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”

As stated by Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers developing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.

the EU’s environment commissioner, described the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.

“Prompt and unified steps is required to address this threat. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize application and collaboration with member states to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.

The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further essential pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in European nations were threatened with extinction.