Alarming Rise in At-Risk Non-Managed Bee Types Throughout Europe

The total of native bee species in Europe facing dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the total of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.

This dire scenario for essential pollinators was revealed by research studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.

The number of butterfly types threatened with extinction in Europe has grown from 37 to 65 since the earlier research, conducted over a decade past. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.

“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with dangers increasing for butterfly species and vital wild bee species.”

The factors of the swift recent drops are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the risk of extinctions at local level.

Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: 52% of all at-risk butterfly types in European nations are imperilled by the climate emergency – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.

Nearly ninety percent of plants that flower in the European continent require pollination by animals, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, wild bee groups are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”

Fifteen types of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the European continent and the only species of this genus in European nations, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category most akin to extinction in the wild.

Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global warming as they must ascend higher as their habitats become hotter but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.

In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.

Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global warming is resulting in the forest boundary to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.

“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast throughout Europe because of all these reasons,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinating insects by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”

According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers developing bloom-filled edges around their farmland.

the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.

“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this threat. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to focus on execution and collaboration with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.

The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the pioneering EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further vital pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in European nations were at risk of extinction.