The total of non-managed bee varieties in the European continent experiencing extinction has more than doubled in the last ten years, while the number of at-risk butterfly species has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly types threatened with extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to 65 since the earlier research, carried out over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with threats mounting for butterfly species and essential non-managed bee species.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the ongoing harm or degradation of habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also shown to be a significant danger: 52% of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate emergency – about twice as many as a ten years ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations require insect pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, known for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the mainland and the only species of this genus group in Europe, is now classified as critically at risk – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but in the end exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by intense wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Far North, global warming is resulting in the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these factors,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the decline in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are involved. Let’s hope they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinators which will not lower food production – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers creating margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to confront this danger. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has established an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to focus on implementation and cooperation with member states to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further vital pollinating insect category. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly types in Europe were at risk of extinction.
