The number of wild bee varieties in Europe facing extinction has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinators was unveiled by research studies for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterflies at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from 37 to 65 since the last study, performed a decade and a half ago. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our financial structures – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with risks increasing for butterfly species and crucial native bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly species in European nations are imperilled by the climate crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Up to 90% of flowering plants in European nations require insect pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the continent and the only species of this genus group in European nations, is now assessed as critically endangered – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but in the end have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are imperilled by extreme dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global warming is causing the tree line to move north by many meters each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest environment for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly across European nations because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the drop in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are engaged. We hope they can obtain the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to confront this danger. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and collaboration with member countries to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the first European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly types in European nations were facing extinction.
