The total of wild bee varieties in Europe experiencing disappearance has over doubled over the past decade, while the total of threatened butterfly has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was disclosed by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The total of butterfly species threatened with extinction in Europe has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our health, our food supplies and our economies – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with dangers mounting for butterfly types and crucial native bee varieties.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – about double the number as a previous decade.
Nearly ninety percent of plants that flower in the European continent rely on insect pollination, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the European continent and the sole species of this genus group in the European continent, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to climate change as they must ascend higher as their habitats become warmer but in the end exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are imperilled by intense drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global heating is resulting in the timberline to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no longer cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest living space for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these reasons,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the decrease in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are engaged. We hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating species which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers creating margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, described the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to address this threat. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide monitoring 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 member countries to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional essential pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
