The total of wild bee varieties in European nations confronting dying out has more than doubled over the past decade, whereas the total of endangered butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least 172 bee varieties out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types at risk of extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the earlier research, performed over a decade past. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our health, our food chains and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with risks increasing for butterfly types and essential wild bee varieties.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the continuing harm or degradation of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: 52% of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are endangered by the climate emergency – about twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of flowering plants in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, non-managed bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many native plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, known for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the mainland and the only species of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their environments become hotter but eventually exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with bushes taking over wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast throughout Europe because of all these factors,” remarked Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will support them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which won’t reduce food production – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers developing margins rich in flowers around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to address this risk. Together with member states, the EU Commission has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the pioneering EU-wide study on hoverflies, a further vital pollinator group. Released in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were facing extinction.
