The number of wild bee varieties in Europe experiencing disappearance has increased twofold in the last ten years, whereas the number of at-risk butterfly has close to doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly types threatened with extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out a decade and a half ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our well-being, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterflies and vital non-managed bee species.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the persistent harm or degradation of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the threat of local extinctions.
Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: Over half of all threatened butterfly types in European nations are imperilled by the climate crisis – about twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations require insect pollination, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, native bee populations are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many native plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the mainland and the only species of this genus in Europe, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become hotter but in the end exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are threatened by severe dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is leading to the tree line to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush invading wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly across European nations because of all these elements,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the drop in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are engaged. It is hoped they can obtain the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not decrease food production – and might boost it – such as farmers developing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this threat. Together with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an Europe-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and collaboration with participating nations to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the first EU-wide study on hoverflies, a further crucial group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly types in Europe were facing extinction.
