The number of wild bee varieties in the European continent confronting extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the total of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly types at risk of extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out 14 years ago. One type, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers growing for butterfly species and crucial wild bee species.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the persistent damage or destruction of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the threat of local extinctions.
Climate change is also revealed to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – about double the number as a ten years ago.
As many as nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations require insect pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, native bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the mainland and the sole species of this genus in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific classification nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to global heating as they need to move uphill as their habitats become more heated but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are endangered by intense drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global warming is leading to the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes taking over marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to browse Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest environment for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. It is hoped they can get the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers establishing bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to confront this risk. In collaboration with member countries, the EU Commission has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with member countries to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the initial Europe-wide study on hoverflies, a further crucial group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly species in European nations were at risk of extinction.
