The number of non-managed bee species in the European continent confronting dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the count of endangered butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has increased from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the last study, conducted over a decade past. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our well-being, our food chains and our economies – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with risks growing for butterflies and crucial native bee varieties.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: 52% of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate emergency – roughly twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
As many as nine out of ten of plants that flower in Europe depend on insect pollination, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the mainland and the single type of this genus group in the European continent, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific category nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global warming as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become warmer but in the end have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are endangered by extreme drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is leading to the forest boundary to move north by many meters each year, with bushes invading bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to turn around the drop in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are interested. It is hoped they can obtain the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers establishing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to confront this threat. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has established an EU-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on application and cooperation with participating nations to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the initial Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional vital pollinator group. Released in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were at risk of extinction.
