The total of non-managed bee varieties in Europe experiencing dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the number of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinators was disclosed by research studies for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly types facing extinction in Europe has increased from 37 to over sixty since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food supplies and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with dangers increasing for butterflies and vital native bee varieties.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the continuing harm or degradation of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: Over half of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately double the number as a decade ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the European continent and the single type of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the research category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain tops are especially at risk to climate change as they must ascend higher as their environments become warmer but in the end have no room left. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are endangered by extreme drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global warming is leading to the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes taking over bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to graze Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in the European continent because of all these reasons,” stated Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to halt the decline in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are involved. We hope they can obtain the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease crop yields – and might boost it – such as farmers developing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this threat. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize execution and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, another vital group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were at risk of extinction.
