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. 

Growing threats to wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies 

An estimated 10% of wild bees in Europe (at least 172 out of 1,928 assessed species) are at risk of extinction. That compares to 77 threatened species in 2014. At the time, 57% of wild bee species were considered Data Deficient, a percentage that has been reduced to 14% in the new assessment – making it the most comprehensive evaluation of the status of European wild bees to date. 

Fifteen species of bumblebees – known for their role in pollinating legume plants like peas, beans, peanuts and clover – as well as 14 species of cellophane bees – which help pollinate plants in the daisy family and trees such as red maples and willows – are now classified as threatened. The mining bee species Simpanurgus phyllopodus, the only species of this genus in Europe and unique to the continent, is now assessed as Critically Endangered. 

New Red List assessments indicate that 15% of butterflies in Europe face extinction risk (65 out of 442 assessed species), up from 37 species in 2010. Over 40% of butterflies unique to the European region and found nowhere else in the world are now threatened or close to being so. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni), which was restricted to the Portuguese island of Madeira, is now officially classified as Extinct.  

Intensive agriculture, pollution and rising temperatures pose main threats 

Habitat loss continues to rank as the main threat to European wild bees and butterflies but now affects a greater number of species. European pollinators are largely dependent on traditional rural landscapes, particularly flower-rich meadows created by non-intensive management. Agricultural and forestry intensification, combined with land abandonment in less productive zones, is contributing to the degradation and fragmentation of habitats crucial to pollinator survival. Nitrogen deposition from fertilisers, and widespread pesticide applications, including herbicides that reduce flower diversity, are negatively impacting many pollinators such as the shiny dufourea (Dufourea minuta), a once-widespread bee species which has now almost entirely disappeared from the plains of central Europe and is classified as Endangered. 

Compounding these challenges, climate change now affects 52% of threatened species of butterflies – approximately twice as many as in the previous report. Prolonged hot periods, droughts and wildfires are increasingly deteriorating butterfly habitats in southern Europe while encroaching on sensitive bog and tundra habitats in Alpine and Boreal zones. Several species, such as the Critically Endangered Nevada grayling (Pseudochazara williamsi), now restricted to a few mountain ranges in south-east Spain, suffer from a combination of habitat loss and climate change. The effects of warmer temperatures on bees are mixed. While bumblebees and other cold-adapted species groups are negatively affected, others, such as carpenter bees, are benefiting from warmer temperatures, which accelerate their development and breeding.  

Dr Denis Michez, Professor at the University of Mons and lead coordinator of the European wild bees assessment, said: "Up to 90% of flowering plants in Europe depend on animal pollination, especially on bees, which are very diverse in their number and variety of species. Sadly, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies, which comprise less than 1% of the existing species and are selected for their ability to produce honey or pollinate crops. If wild bees disappear, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples”.  

Dr Martin Warren, former CEO of Butterfly Conservation and one of the lead coordinators of the European butterflies assessment, said: “Many European butterflies are threatened by habitat changes due to rising temperatures. However, by ensuring their habitats are managed as well as possible and populations are large and robust, they stand a chance. Others can be saved from extinction by preventing wildfires, which can obliterate habitats for years.” 

The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another crucial pollinator group. Published in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe are threatened with extinction. 

Together, these IUCN Red List assessments make an essential contribution to the knowledge base that underpins the implementation of the EU’s New Deal for Pollinators, especially in tracking progress towards the pollinator targets under the Nature Restoration Regulation.  

Supporting data 

Today’s IUCN Red List of Threatened Species European-level updates on wild bees, butterflies, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fishes and molluscs, saproxylic beetles, dragonflies and damselflies are available here.