The count of non-managed bee varieties in Europe facing dying out has increased twofold over the past decade, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating species was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee types out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has increased from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the earlier research, performed 14 years ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our financial structures – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with dangers increasing for butterfly species and vital native bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the risk of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in European nations are endangered by the climate change crisis – approximately twice as many as a ten years ago.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in the European continent rely on animal pollination, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the mainland and the single type of this genus group in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global heating as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but ultimately run out of space. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are endangered by intense drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, climate change is causing the tree line to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the frozen water to graze Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these reasons,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to halt the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. It is hoped they can get the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers establishing flower-rich margins around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to tackle this danger. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and cooperation with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the initial European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further essential group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
