The count of wild bee species in Europe confronting extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly species has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least over 170 bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly types facing extinction in the European continent has risen from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the previous assessment, carried out 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food supplies and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with risks growing for butterfly species and essential wild bee types.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the persistent damage or destruction of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the danger of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a major threat: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are threatened by the climate crisis – roughly twice as many as a decade ago.
Up to nine out of ten of flowering plants in Europe depend on pollination by animals, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee groups are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many native plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, recognized for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the mainland and the single type of this biological genus in European nations, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the research category nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to global heating as they need to move uphill as their habitats become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of European endemics (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are endangered by extreme dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Far North, climate change is resulting in the forest boundary to advance northwards by many meters each year, with bushes taking over bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice sheets to browse Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest living space for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast across European nations because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to turn around the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are engaged. We hope they can receive the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and may enhance it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to tackle this risk. In collaboration with participating nations, the EU Commission has implemented an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were at risk of extinction.
