The number of non-managed bee varieties in European nations facing extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the number of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating insects was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least over 170 bee types out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly types facing extinction in Europe has grown from 37 to sixty-five since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food supplies and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers increasing for butterflies and essential non-managed bee species.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the persistent damage or destruction of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the threat of local extinctions.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are threatened by the climate change crisis – about twice as many as a decade ago.
As many as nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations rely on insect pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, known for fertilizing trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the mainland and the only species of this genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific classification nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global warming as they need to move uphill as their habitats become warmer but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by extreme wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with bushes invading wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and maintain them clear. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly in the European continent because of all these reasons,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to reverse the decrease in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are involved. Let’s hope they can receive the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which won’t reduce crop yields – and could improve it – such as growers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to confront this risk. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an Europe-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on application and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further crucial group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were at risk of extinction.
