The count of non-managed bee varieties in the European continent experiencing extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the count of threatened butterfly has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee species out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has increased from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, conducted a decade and a half ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with threats increasing for butterflies and vital wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of living environments caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also revealed to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly types in Europe are threatened by the climate crisis – approximately double the number as a previous decade.
As many as nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations require animal pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee groups are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the mainland and the only species of this genus in the European continent, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their environments become warmer but in the end exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by severe dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global heating is causing the forest boundary to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no longer cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are involved. We hope they can obtain the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating species which won’t reduce agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this risk. Along with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to focus on implementation and collaboration with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the pioneering European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further essential pollinator group. Released in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly types in Europe were at risk of extinction.
