“Beyond their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our economies ….
Nearly 100 additional wild bee species in Europe have been classified as threatened in a new assessment for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, with more than 20% of species in groups such as bumblebees and cellophane bees now facing a risk of extinction. New IUCN Red List assessments also reveal that the number of threatened European butterfly species increased by a sharp 76% over the last decade.
Funded by the European Commission, the latest European-level assessments for the IUCN Red List re-evaluate the conservation status of a large number of species groups for the first time since the early and mid-2010s: bees, butterflies, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fishes and molluscs, saproxylic (wood-dependent) beetles, dragonflies and damselflies.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our economies – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us. In fact, four out of five crop and wildflower species in the EU rely on insect pollination. The latest European Red List assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterflies and crucial wild bee species. Yet this knowledge is powerful: by highlighting the pressures species face, the Red List also helps us chart the path forward. It provides the data needed to drive urgent conservation action, guide recovery efforts and support European countries in delivering on the Global Biodiversity Framework targets. While the challenges are real, this work illuminates the solutions – helping us secure a thriving future for people and nature alike,” said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General.
“The new assessment shows that the conservation status of European wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators is dire. These are the foundation for our food systems, our ecosystems and our societies. Urgent and collective action is needed to tackle this threat. Together with Member States, the European Commission has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to focus on implementation and cooperation with Member States to protect our pollinators,” said Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy.
The Red List can be found here
