Spain has taken a historic step forward in the conservation of insect pollinators by extending legal protection to seven species occurring within its territory. The measure, published on 19 October in the Boletín Oficial del Estado, marks the first time that bumblebee and hoverfly species have been incorporated into the country’s national biodiversity protection instruments.

Specifically, four bumblebee species have been included in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species under the category “Endangered”: Bombus confusus Schenck, Bombus cullumanus (Kirby), Bombus gerstaeckeri Morawitz and Bombus inexspectatus (Tkalců), all of which occur in northern Spain and at high-altitude locations.

Under the category “Vulnerable”, two hoverfly species have been added: Mallota dusmeti (Andreu) and Meligramma cingulata (Egger). As adults, these flies visit flowers and are highly effective pollinators. They also play an important ecological role due to the remarkable diversity of lifestyles displayed by their larval stages.

In addition, the Alcon blue butterfly, Phengaris alcon (Denis & Schiffermüller), has been incorporated into the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime, granting it protected status at the national level.

Bumblebees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects are essential for the reproduction of wild plants and the maintenance of biodiversity. Their ecological importance, together with their specific habitat requirements and, in many cases, restricted distributions, has justified the need for their protection.

The inclusion of these species in the Catalogue and the List acknowledges the urgent need to halt the decline affecting many of their populations as a result of habitat loss, climate change and other environmental pressures. This measure will improve population monitoring, support the conservation of the habitats on which these species depend, and promote targeted recovery actions.

The process began four years ago and required extensive scientific, technical and administrative work coordinated by Guillermo Cabezas (then at TRAGSATEC), Elena Bermejo, Marta Gómez and Marcos Cerra, in collaboration with technical staff from the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO). The team also included Concepción Ornosa (Complutense University of Madrid), Félix Torres (University of Salamanca), Santos Rojo, Celeste Pérez and Andrea Aracil (University of Alicante), and Yeray Monasterio and Ruth Escobés (ZERYNTHIA, the Spanish Association for the Protection of Butterflies and their Habitat). Antonio Ricarte, from the CIBIO Research Centre at the University of Alicante, later joined the initiative.