The number of native bee varieties in Europe facing disappearance has more than doubled in the last ten years, whereas the number of threatened butterfly species has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating species was revealed by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has increased from 37 to over sixty since the previous assessment, carried out 14 years ago. One type, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economies – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterfly species and vital wild bee varieties.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also revealed to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterflies in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – approximately twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Up to nine out of ten of blooming plants in Europe rely on animal pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, wild bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the European continent and the only species of this genus in European nations, is now classified as severely threatened – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to climate change as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by extreme wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the tree line to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush taking over marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast across European nations because of all these elements,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to reverse the decrease in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are engaged. It is hoped they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not lower crop yields – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers creating flower-rich margins around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to address this threat. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and partnership with member countries to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the initial European-wide study on hoverflies, a further essential pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in Europe were facing extinction.
