The number of non-managed bee species in Europe experiencing dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the number of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were facing extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our well-being, our food systems and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with risks growing for butterfly types and vital native bee varieties.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing harm or degradation of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the risk of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterflies in the European continent are threatened by the climate emergency – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.
Nearly 90% of plants that flower in the European continent depend on insect pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, native bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, known for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the mainland and the only species of this genus in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but in the end have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of European endemics (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by severe wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is resulting in the tree line to move north by tens of metres each year, with bushes encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice to browse northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly across the European continent because of all these factors,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to reverse the drop in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are involved. It is hoped they can get the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinators which won’t reduce food production – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers creating margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to tackle this danger. 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 development. Now, we need to focus on application and collaboration with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the pioneering EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional essential pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in European nations were at risk of extinction.
