Alarming Increase in Threatened Native Bee Species Across the European Continent

The total of native bee types in the European continent facing disappearance has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the number of threatened butterfly has nearly doubled.

This dire scenario for crucial pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least 172 bee species out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in the European continent.

The count of butterfly species facing extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to 65 since the last study, performed 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.

In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with threats mounting for butterfly species and essential non-managed bee species.”

The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the danger of extinctions at local level.

Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate emergency – about twofold the amount as a decade ago.

Nearly 90% of plants that flower in the European continent rely on animal pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, native bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”

Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the mainland and the only species of this genus in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.

Butterfly species that are solely present on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but eventually exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.

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

At the same time, in the Far North, global heating 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 reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.

“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast in Europe because of all these reasons,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to halt the decrease in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”

According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinators which will not lower crop yields – and might boost it – such as growers establishing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.

the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.

“Prompt and unified steps is required to tackle this risk. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.

The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the first Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.