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A wild bee foraging in a flower. This bee is a “vestal cuckoo bumblebee” (Bombus vestalis) – one of the 235 wild bee species that was recorded as part of this study.
Photo Credit: Ira Hannappel
Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Wild Bee Conservation in Calcareous Grasslands
The Core Concept: Calcareous grasslands are rare, nutrient-poor ecosystems over limestone bedrock that support exceptional biodiversity. An international research study demonstrates that low- to moderate-intensity management combined with supportive regional landscape preservation is essential for safeguarding European wild bee populations.
Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike intensive agricultural lands or abandoned scrublands, moderately managed grasslands sustain high plant and insect richness. Wild bee populations depend not only on local habitat quality but also on the regional density of neighboring calcareous grasslands and tailored agri-environmental programs.
Origin/History: Published in November 2026 in the Journal of Applied Ecology, research led by the University of Göttingen examined 96 calcareous grassland sites across Estonia, Germany, and Spain over a two-year period, documenting 6,716 wild bees across 235 species.
Major Frameworks/Components:
- Local land-use intensity: Low- to moderate-intensity management prevents scrub encroachment while fostering plant diversity and wild bee species richness.
- Regional landscape connectivity: Proximity to neighboring calcareous grasslands significantly boosts regional wild bee abundance.
- Agri-environmental policy evaluation: Assessment of EU Common Agricultural Policy voluntary programs, showing that production-integrated measures require high regional grassland proportions to succeed.
- Large-scale ecological sampling: Multi-country field monitoring across Estonia, Germany, and Spain recording 235 distinct wild bee species.
Branches of Science: Agroecology, Conservation Biology, Entomology, and Restoration Ecology.
Future Application: Implementation of regionally customized conservation policies and adaptive agri-environmental schemes that integrate local habitat maintenance with landscape-scale connectivity to protect European pollinators.
Why It Matters: Wild bees are critical pollinators for natural ecosystems and agricultural productivity. Identifying precise management requirements prevents the loss of endangered grassland habitats and counteracts pollinator declines across Europe.
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| This calcareous grassland was analysed as part of the research project in the area around Göttingen. It is bursting with life including many different wild bee and plant species. Photo Credit: Annika Haß |
International research team highlights effective landscape management in calcareous grasslands
Calcareous grasslands are wildflower-rich ecosystems that develop on shallow, alkaline, nutrient-poor soils over chalk or limestone bedrock. They are rare and important habitats for wild bees and other pollinators—yet how well they can support these valuable communities depends on how they are managed. An international research team, led by the University of Göttingen, has shown that long-term abandonment or intensive management threatens the diversity of wild bees. Extensive management of these areas, together with appropriate nature conservation measures in the surrounding landscape, is crucial.
The researchers studied 96 calcareous grassland areas across Estonia, Germany, and Spain over a two-year period. They recorded a total of 6,716 wild bees and classified these into 235 species. The resulting data indicate the critical role these habitats play in the conservation of wild bees. The scientists found the greatest species diversity in areas with low to moderate land-use intensity, partly due to positive effects on plant diversity. Additionally, the surrounding landscape played a key role: in two out of three regions, wild bee populations benefited significantly from the proximity of adjacent calcareous grasslands. The team also paid particular attention to “agri-environmental measures,” which are voluntary programs under the EU Common Agricultural Policy that pay farmers to adopt biodiversity-friendly practices. The researchers investigated the influence of such measures in the landscape on the wild bees of the calcareous grasslands. They found that their effectiveness depended on the type of measure, the surrounding landscape, and regional conditions. In Germany, for example, agri-environmental measures directly integrated into agricultural production yielded positive effects on wild bees only when the landscape contained a high proportion of calcareous grasslands.
“As traditional management of calcareous grasslands is often no longer economically viable, their use is currently being abandoned in many regions of Europe,” says lead author Ira Hannappel at Göttingen University’s Agroecology and Functional Agrobiodiversity research group. “To prevent these areas from being overgrown with scrub, low to moderately intensive management of calcareous grasslands should be specifically encouraged.” The scientists emphasize that the long-term conservation of wild bee diversity on calcareous grasslands requires a combination of local and regional measures. In this regard, the protection and restoration of calcareous grasslands is crucial and may be complemented by the implementation of agri-environmental measures in the landscape. However, the study also shows that a one-size-fits-all approach often fails to meet the diverse requirements. Nature conservation measures must be individually adapted to local conditions and regions.
Published in journal: Journal of Applied Ecology
Authors: Ira Hannappel, Catrin Westphal, Jordi Artola, Xabier Cabodevilla, Jelle Devalez, David Giralt, Florian Hartig, Aveliina Helm, Hans Jacquemyn, Alexander Keller, David Kleijn, Felipe Librán-Embid, Laura Naagel, Triin Reitalu, Juan Traba, Elena Velado-Alonso, and Annika L. Hass
Source/Credit: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Edited by: Scientific Frontline
Reference Number: eco111126_01
