The total of non-managed bee types in Europe confronting disappearance has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, and the count of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of over 1900 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies at risk of extinction in European nations has increased from thirty-seven to 65 since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food systems and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with threats increasing for butterflies and vital wild bee types.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the persistent destruction or damage of living environments caused by farming 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 significantly raises the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all at-risk butterflies in the European continent are threatened by the climate crisis – about twofold the amount as a previous decade.
As many as nine out of ten of flowering plants in Europe rely on pollination by animals, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, native bee colonies are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the mainland and the sole species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically endangered – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain tops are especially at risk to global heating as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but in the end have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are threatened by severe wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, climate change is resulting in the timberline to move north by many meters each year, with bushes taking over wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the decline in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating species which won’t reduce agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers developing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to address this danger. Along with member states, the EU Commission has put in place an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and partnership with member states to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
