The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released new assessments for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, revealing an increase in the number of threatened wild bee and butterfly species across Europe. The results were part of the latest European-level updates funded by the European Commission.

According to the findings, roughly 100 new wild bee species are now classed as threatened, accounting for around 10% of all assessed species. Over the last ten years, the number of vulnerable butterfly species has climbed by 76%. Habitat loss, agricultural intensification, pesticide use, pollution, and the effects of climate change have been recognised as the primary drivers of these reductions. The update re-evaluates the conservation status of a large number of species groups for the first time since the early and mid-2010s, including bees, butterflies, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fishes, molluscs, saproxylic beetles, dragonflies and damselflies.

This new assessment underscores the urgent need for coordinated conservation measures to halt and reverse pollinator decline across Europe. The findings directly support the implementation of the EU’s New Deal for Pollinators and contribute to tracking progress towards pollinator-related targets set out in the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

The new assessments brought together experts from across Europe. Among them, Dr Denis Michez, of the University of Mons (UMONS), coordinator of the evaluation of European wild bee species and a partner in AGRI4POL. Within the project UMONS team is playing a crucial role in understanding how crops interact with pollinators, and how these relationships might change as the climate shifts.

Find out more in this press release.