Alarming Rise in Endangered Wild Bee Varieties Throughout the European Continent

The count of non-managed bee species in Europe experiencing extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, and the count of threatened butterfly has nearly doubled.

This dire scenario for essential pollinating insects was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which found that at least over 170 bee types out of over 1900 were facing extinction in the European continent.

The total of butterfly species at risk of extinction in Europe has risen from thirty-seven to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.

In addition to their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with dangers mounting for butterfly species and essential wild bee species.”

The causes of the quick recent decreases are the persistent destruction or damage of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the risk of local extinctions.

Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all at-risk butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – roughly double the number as a previous decade.

Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in Europe depend on animal pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, native bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”

Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, famous for fertilizing trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the European continent and the only species of this biological genus in Europe, is now assessed as severely threatened – the research category nearest to disappearance in the wild.

Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain tops are especially at risk to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become warmer but eventually have no room left. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.

In the Mediterranean, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are imperilled by extreme drought and wildfires.

At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is causing the forest boundary to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no longer cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.

“The biggest living space for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in the European continent because of all these reasons,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. It is hoped they can get the encouragements that will help them on their way.”

According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinators which will not decrease food production – and may enhance it – such as farmers developing flower-rich margins around their fields.

Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.

“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to address this danger. Along with member countries, the EU Commission has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.

The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the first EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional crucial pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.