Concerning Surge in Endangered Non-Managed Bee Species Across the European Continent

The count of native bee species in Europe facing dying out has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, and the number of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.

This pressing issue for vital pollinating insects was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which established that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in Europe.

The number of butterfly species facing extinction in European nations has increased from 37 to 65 since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.

Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with threats growing for butterflies and crucial native bee species.”

The reasons of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the danger of local extinctions.

Global heating is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.

Nearly ninety percent of blooming plants in Europe rely on insect pollination, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, wild bee populations are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees die out, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”

15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, known for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the European continent and the single type of this genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically at risk – the research category closest to extinction in the wild.

Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they need to move uphill as their habitats become more heated but ultimately run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.

In the Mediterranean region, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.

In the meantime, in the Arctic region, climate change is leading to the timberline to move north by tens of metres each year, with bushes invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice to graze Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. 8 butterfly varieties 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 insects is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly across European nations because of all these factors,” said Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”

According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not decrease crop yields – and might boost it – such as farmers creating margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.

EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.

“Urgent and collective action is needed to confront this danger. Along with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to focus on implementation and partnership with member states to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.

The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another essential pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were facing extinction.