Worrying Rise in Endangered Non-Managed Bee Varieties Across Europe

The number of non-managed bee types in Europe facing disappearance has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the count of endangered butterfly types has nearly doubled.

This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.

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

Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with threats growing for butterflies and essential native bee varieties.”

The causes of the rapid recent declines are the continuing destruction or damage of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of local extinctions.

Climate change is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – approximately twofold the amount as a previous decade.

Up to nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations require pollination by animals, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee colonies are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”

15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, known for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the continent and the only species of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category nearest to disappearance in the wild.

Butterflies that are only found on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to climate change as they have to climb upward as their environments become hotter but in the end have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.

In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by extreme wildfires and drought.

In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is causing the timberline to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.

“The biggest environment for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast across European nations because of all these reasons,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to reverse the decline in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are interested. We hope they can get the encouragements that will help them on their way.”

As stated by the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not lower food production – and might boost it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.

EU commissioner for environment, characterized the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.

“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to confront this danger. Along with member states, the European Commission has implemented an Europe-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to focus on execution and cooperation with member countries to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.

The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the initial EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional vital group of pollinators. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were facing extinction.