Concerning Rise in At-Risk Native Bee Species Across Europe

The count of native bee varieties in European nations experiencing disappearance has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the count of threatened butterfly species has almost doubled.

This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least 172 bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.

The total of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, performed a decade and a half ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.

In addition to their beauty and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our physical condition, our food chains and our financial structures – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats mounting for butterfly species and vital native bee varieties.”

The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.

Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterfly types in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – about double the number as a decade ago.

As many as ninety percent of flowering plants in Europe require pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many native plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”

Fifteen types of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the mainland and the single type of this biological genus in European nations, is now assessed as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to disappearance in the wild.

Butterflies that are only found on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.

In the Mediterranean, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are imperilled by extreme dry conditions and fires.

Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is leading to the forest boundary to move north by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no longer cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.

“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast throughout European nations because of all these factors,” remarked Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to reverse the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. It is hoped they can obtain the incentives that will support them on their way.”

As stated by Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinators which will not lower food production – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers developing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.

the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.

“Prompt and unified steps is needed to confront this risk. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has established an EU-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with participating nations to protect our pollinators,” she said.

The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the pioneering European-wide study on hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were threatened with extinction.