The count of native bee types in Europe experiencing disappearance has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the number of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least over 170 bee species out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The count of butterfly types facing extinction in European nations has increased from thirty-seven to over sixty since the previous assessment, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our well-being, our food supplies and our economies – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterfly species and essential wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also revealed to be a significant danger: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – about double the number as a decade ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations require animal pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many native plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the European continent and the single type of this genus group in Europe, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific classification nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they need to move uphill as their environments become hotter but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by extreme wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is causing the tree line to move north by many meters each year, with underbrush taking over marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice to browse northern grasslands and maintain them clear. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly 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 citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are engaged. It is hoped they can get the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinators which won’t reduce crop yields – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers establishing margins rich in flowers around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to tackle this danger. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on application and collaboration with member states to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the initial Europe-wide study on hoverflies, an additional crucial group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in European nations were at risk of extinction.
