Alarming Increase in Threatened Native Bee Varieties Across the European Continent

The number of wild bee species in European nations confronting dying out has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.

This critical situation for vital pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.

The count of butterfly types facing extinction in the European continent has increased from over thirty-five to 65 since the previous assessment, carried out over a decade past. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.

In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with risks growing for butterfly types and vital wild bee types.”

The causes of the swift recent drops are the continuing harm or degradation of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.

Global heating is also shown to be a significant danger: 52% of all threatened butterfly types in Europe are threatened by the climate emergency – about double the number as a decade ago.

Up to ninety percent of plants that flower in Europe depend on pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, wild bee colonies are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”

Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the continent and the only species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category most akin to extinction in the wild.

Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global warming as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become hotter but in the end exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.

In the Mediterranean, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by intense wildfires and drought.

At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice to browse northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.

“The biggest environment for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly throughout European nations because of all these factors,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to halt the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are involved. We hope they can receive the motivations that will help them on their way.”

According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease crop yields – and could improve it – such as growers developing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.

Jessika Roswall, characterized the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.

“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to confront this danger. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an EU-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and partnership with member countries to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.

The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another vital group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were at risk of extinction.