The total of non-managed bee varieties in Europe experiencing extinction has more than doubled in the last ten years, whereas the count of at-risk butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating species was revealed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of 1,928 were facing extinction in Europe.
The total of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has risen from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our health, our food chains and our economies – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with dangers mounting for butterfly types and essential wild bee types.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the persistent harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the risk of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also shown to be a significant danger: Over half of all at-risk butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a previous decade.
Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in the European continent require pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, known for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the mainland and the only species of this biological genus in European nations, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific classification most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to global warming as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of European endemics (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by severe drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, climate change is causing the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes taking over marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly across European nations because of all these factors,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to reverse the decline in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are engaged. We hope they can obtain the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and might boost it – such as growers establishing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to tackle this threat. Together with member countries, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the initial European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further vital group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were facing extinction.
