The number of native bee types in the European continent facing dying out has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, and the total of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least 172 bee types out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has increased from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the earlier research, carried out over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our well-being, our food systems and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with threats growing for butterfly types and essential non-managed bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all threatened butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
As many as ninety percent of plants that flower in the European continent rely on animal pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the mainland and the only species of this biological genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, global heating is causing the tree line to move north by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these reasons,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to turn around the drop in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are interested. We hope they can get the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as farmers developing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to address this risk. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize application and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional crucial pollinator group. Released in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in Europe were facing extinction.
