The count of native bee types in the European continent experiencing disappearance has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the number of endangered butterfly species has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by research studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least 172 bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly types at risk of extinction in Europe has increased from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the last study, performed 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economies – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with risks increasing for butterflies and essential wild bee species.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the ongoing damage or destruction of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the danger of local extinctions.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Over half of all threatened butterflies in European nations are imperilled by the climate emergency – about twice as many as a previous decade.
Up to nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations depend on pollination by animals, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, native bee groups are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, known for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the continent and the sole species of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to climate change as they have to climb upward as their habitats become hotter but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are endangered by extreme drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is causing the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest environment for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these reasons,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the decline in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are engaged. We hope they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not decrease agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers developing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to confront this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the EU Commission has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to focus on application and partnership with participating nations to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, another crucial group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
