The total of wild bee varieties in European nations confronting extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of endangered butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments 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 butterflies at risk of extinction in the European continent has risen from 37 to 65 since the previous assessment, conducted a decade and a half ago. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food chains and our economies – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with dangers increasing for butterfly species and crucial wild bee types.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global warming is also revealed to be a significant danger: 52% of all threatened butterflies in European nations are endangered by the climate crisis – roughly twice as many as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of plants that flower in the European continent require pollination by animals, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, famous for pollinating 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 single type of this genus group in Europe, is now assessed as critically at risk – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain tops are highly susceptible to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but eventually run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are endangered by extreme drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is leading to the timberline to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice to browse Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are interested. Let’s hope they can get the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not lower agricultural output – and could improve it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to confront this risk. Together with participating nations, the European Commission has established an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with participating nations to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, another vital pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in Europe were at risk of extinction.
