The count of wild bee species in the European continent facing disappearance has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the count of endangered butterfly has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in European nations.
The total of butterfly species at risk of extinction in Europe has grown from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, conducted over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food chains and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers increasing for butterfly types and vital native bee varieties.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a major threat: 52% of all threatened butterfly types in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – approximately double the number as a ten years ago.
Up to 90% of blooming plants in European nations rely on insect pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, wild bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in pollinating 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 found only in the continent and the only species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are only found on mountain tops are especially at risk to global warming as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but in the end have no room left. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are endangered by extreme wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is resulting in the forest boundary to advance northwards by many meters each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these reasons,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to halt the decrease in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are engaged. It is hoped they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating species which won’t reduce crop yields – and could improve it – such as growers developing flower-rich margins around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, described the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to address this risk. Along with member states, the EU Commission has established an European Union-wide observation system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize application and collaboration with member states to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the pioneering EU-wide study on hoverflies, a further vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
