The number of native bee varieties in Europe confronting dying out has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the total of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating insects was revealed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The total of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has increased from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with threats increasing for butterfly types and essential non-managed bee species.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the continuing harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also shown to be a major threat: Over half of all threatened butterfly species in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of plants that flower in European nations depend on insect pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the mainland and the single type of this genus in the European continent, is now assessed as severely threatened – the research category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they have to climb upward as their habitats become warmer but eventually run out of space. In the southern part of 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, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by severe dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Far North, climate change is causing the timberline to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in the European continent because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to reverse the decline in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. We hope they can obtain the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not lower agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers developing bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, described the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has implemented an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize application and partnership with member states to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further crucial group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were facing extinction.
