The count of native bee varieties in European nations facing extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, and the number of endangered butterfly species has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least over 170 bee species out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The number of butterflies threatened with extinction in Europe has grown from 37 to sixty-five since the earlier research, 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, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats mounting for butterfly types and crucial native bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing damage or destruction of living environments caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the danger of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Over half of all threatened butterfly types in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a previous decade.
As many as ninety percent of flowering plants in the European continent rely on insect pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, native bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the mainland and the single type of this biological genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their environments become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by extreme wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush invading bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast throughout Europe because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can get the motivations that will support them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers establishing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this threat. Along with member states, the European Commission has established an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to prioritize execution and partnership with member countries to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the initial EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in European nations were facing extinction.
