Concerning Surge in At-Risk Non-Managed Bee Varieties Across the European Continent

The total of native bee types in European nations facing dying out has more than doubled over the past decade, while the count of at-risk butterfly species has close to doubled.

This pressing issue for crucial pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were facing extinction in Europe.

The count of butterfly types facing extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the earlier research, carried out 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.

In addition to their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food chains and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with risks growing for butterfly species and vital wild bee varieties.”

The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of disappearances in specific areas.

Global warming is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Over half of all at-risk butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a decade ago.

As many as 90% of plants that flower in the European continent depend on insect pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee groups are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many native plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”

Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, recognized 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 continent and the sole species of this genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category nearest to dying out in natural habitats.

Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global heating as they must ascend higher as their environments become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of European endemics (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.

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

In the meantime, in the Far North, global warming is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by many meters each year, with scrub encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no more cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.

“The largest environment for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to turn around the drop in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can receive the incentives that will assist them on their way.”

As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating species which won’t reduce crop yields – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers creating margins rich in flowers around their fields.

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

“Urgent and collective action is necessary to confront this threat. Along with member countries, the European Commission has established an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and collaboration with member countries to protect our pollinators,” she said.

The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Released in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.