The number of wild bee types in the European continent experiencing dying out has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, while the total of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species threatened with extinction in Europe has grown from thirty-seven to 65 since the previous assessment, performed 14 years ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economies – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with dangers increasing for butterflies and essential wild bee species.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a major threat: 52% of all threatened butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – approximately twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of plants that flower in the European continent require pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the European continent and the sole species of this genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are only found on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global warming as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by severe dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is resulting in the tree line to move north by many meters each year, with bushes invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no longer cross the ice to graze Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly across the European continent because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to reverse the drop in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can get the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as growers creating flower-rich margins around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to confront this threat. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has established an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with participating nations to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional essential pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
