The number of wild bee types in Europe facing extinction has more than doubled in the last ten years, and the number of endangered butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinators was unveiled by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly species at risk of extinction in Europe has increased from 37 to sixty-five since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with risks growing for butterfly species and essential native bee varieties.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the threat of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate emergency – approximately double the number as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of flowering plants in Europe require pollination by animals, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many native plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the mainland and the sole species of this biological genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their environments become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is resulting in the forest boundary to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can no more cross the frozen water 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 ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these reasons,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to halt the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are interested. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as growers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to address this threat. Along with member states, the EU Commission has established an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, another essential pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were facing extinction.
