The total of native bee varieties in Europe facing extinction has increased twofold over the past decade, while the count of threatened butterfly has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types threatened with extinction in Europe has increased from over thirty-five to over sixty since the previous assessment, carried out over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with risks mounting for butterfly types and vital wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the persistent harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the threat of local extinctions.
Climate change is also shown to be a significant danger: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in European nations are endangered by the climate crisis – roughly double the number as a decade ago.
As many as ninety percent of plants that flower in European nations require insect pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the European continent and the only species of this genus group in Europe, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but eventually run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global warming is leading to the forest boundary to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no more cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast in Europe because of all these factors,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to turn around the decline in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers establishing flower-rich margins around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the protection status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this threat. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has established an EU-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with member countries to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the initial European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in European nations were facing extinction.
