The number of wild bee species in the European continent experiencing dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the number of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly types facing extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the last study, carried out over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our well-being, our food chains and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with threats increasing for butterfly types and vital wild bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the ongoing damage or destruction of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also revealed to be a significant danger: 52% of all threatened butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – about double the number as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of flowering plants in European nations depend on animal pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which have an essential part in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the European continent and the only species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but in the end exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of European endemics (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are threatened by intense drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is leading to the forest boundary to advance northwards by many meters each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly throughout the European continent because of all these reasons,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. We hope they can get the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which won’t reduce crop yields – and may enhance it – such as farmers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, described the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this danger. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide observation system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to focus on implementation and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further vital pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in Europe were threatened with extinction.
