Worrying Increase in Threatened Native Bee Varieties Across the European Continent

The number of non-managed bee varieties in the European continent facing extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, while the number of at-risk butterfly types has nearly doubled.

This dire scenario for essential pollinating insects was revealed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in Europe.

The total of butterfly types at risk of extinction in the European continent has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, carried out over a decade past. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.

In addition to their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our health, our food chains and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly types and vital native bee species.”

The causes of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.

Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly types in Europe are threatened by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a decade ago.

Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations require pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, non-managed bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”

Fifteen types of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the continent and the single type of this genus group in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to disappearance in the wild.

Butterflies that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to climate change as they have to climb upward as their habitats become warmer but in the end run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.

In the Mediterranean, species such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.

In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is causing the tree line to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub taking over marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice sheets to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.

“The largest living space for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these reasons,” stated Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to halt the drop in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”

As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as farmers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.

Jessika Roswall, described the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.

“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this threat. Along with participating nations, the European Commission has implemented an EU-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to focus on execution and cooperation with participating nations to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.

The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the initial EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional essential group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in Europe were at risk of extinction.