Worrying Rise in Threatened Native Bee Species Throughout the European Continent

The total of native bee species in European nations facing dying out has more than doubled in the last ten years, whereas the number of threatened butterfly species has nearly doubled.

This critical situation for essential pollinators was unveiled by research studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of over 1900 were facing extinction in European nations.

The count of butterfly species threatened with extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to 65 since the last study, conducted over a decade past. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.

Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly types and essential native bee types.”

The factors of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the threat of extinctions at local level.

Global heating is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – roughly twice as many as a decade ago.

Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations require insect pollination, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”

Fifteen types of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the continent and the only species of this genus group in Europe, is now assessed as critically at risk – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.

Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain tops are especially at risk to global heating as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.

In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.

At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is causing the forest boundary to advance northwards by many meters each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.

“The largest living space for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these reasons,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will help them on their way.”

According to the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which won’t reduce agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers establishing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.

EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.

“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this threat. Together with member countries, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an EU-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinators,” she said.

The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the first Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another vital pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly types in Europe were threatened with extinction.