The number of non-managed bee types in European nations experiencing disappearance has more than doubled in the last ten years, while the total of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating species was unveiled by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least over 170 bee species out of over 1900 were facing extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types at risk of extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to 65 since the previous assessment, carried out over a decade past. One type, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food systems and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with risks increasing for butterfly species and essential wild bee species.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing damage or destruction of habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the danger of local extinctions.
Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in the European continent rely on animal pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many native plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the mainland and the sole species of this genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically at risk – the research category most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to global warming as they must ascend higher as their habitats become more heated but in the end run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global warming is causing the forest boundary to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes invading marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice to graze northern grasslands and maintain them clear. 8 butterfly varieties are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly throughout Europe because of all these factors,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the drop in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this danger. Along with member states, the European Commission has established an EU-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize execution and cooperation with member states to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the first European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
