The count of native bee varieties in Europe confronting disappearance has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of threatened butterfly types has almost doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were facing extinction in European nations.
The number of butterfly species facing extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, performed 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our well-being, our food supplies and our economies – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers increasing for butterfly species and crucial wild bee types.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the persistent damage or destruction of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also shown to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate crisis – about twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in Europe rely on animal pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, native bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many native plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, recognized for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the continent and the only species of this genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are solely present on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their habitats become hotter but eventually exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are endangered by intense wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, global warming is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in European nations because of all these reasons,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to reverse the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not decrease food production – and might boost it – such as growers creating flower-rich margins around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to tackle this risk. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and partnership with member states to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the pioneering Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further vital pollinating insect category. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in Europe were facing extinction.
