The total of wild bee varieties in European nations facing disappearance has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the number of threatened butterfly species has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least over 170 bee types out of over 1900 were facing extinction in Europe.
The number of butterflies threatened with extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to sixty-five since the earlier research, conducted a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our well-being, our food supplies and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with risks increasing for butterflies and vital non-managed bee varieties.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of living environments caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the risk of local extinctions.
Global heating is also revealed to be a major threat: 52% of all threatened butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate emergency – about double the number as a decade ago.
Up to ninety percent of flowering plants in Europe require animal pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, famous for fertilizing trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the mainland and the sole species of this genus group in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain tops are especially at risk to global heating as they must ascend higher as their environments become warmer but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by extreme dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with bushes taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no longer cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these elements,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to halt the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are engaged. It is hoped they can get the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and may enhance it – such as growers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this threat. Along with member countries, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to focus on implementation and cooperation with member countries to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in the European continent were facing extinction.
