Worrying Rise in Threatened Non-Managed Bee Types Across Europe

The count of non-managed bee types in the European continent facing extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the total of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.

This critical situation for vital pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in the European continent.

The number of butterflies at risk of extinction in Europe has increased from 37 to 65 since the earlier research, performed over a decade past. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.

In addition to their beauty and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food systems and our economies – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterflies and crucial wild bee varieties.”

The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent destruction or damage of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the risk of local extinctions.

Global warming is also shown to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterflies in European nations are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.

Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations depend on pollination by animals, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, non-managed bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”

Fifteen species of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, known for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the mainland and the single type of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category nearest to dying out in natural habitats.

Butterfly species that are only found on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they have to climb upward as their environments become hotter but ultimately have no room left. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.

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

Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, climate change is causing the timberline to shift northward by many meters each year, with bushes taking over wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.

“The greatest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the decrease in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are involved. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will help them on their way.”

According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which won’t reduce crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.

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

“Urgent and collective action is needed to address this threat. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.

The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the first European-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were threatened with extinction.