The count of wild bee types in Europe experiencing dying out has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, and the total of threatened butterfly species has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinators was revealed by research studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee varieties out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The number of butterflies at risk of extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to 65 since the last study, carried out over a decade past. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our health, our food chains and our economies – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with dangers growing for butterfly species and crucial native bee varieties.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing damage or destruction of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also revealed to be a major threat: Over half of all threatened butterflies in the European continent are imperilled by the climate change crisis – about twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in European nations rely on pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, non-managed bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many native plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, known for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the continent and the sole species of this genus in European nations, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific classification most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly 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, types such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by intense dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is resulting in the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with bushes invading marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice to graze Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly across European nations because of all these factors,” stated Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to halt the drop in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are interested. Let’s hope they can obtain the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not decrease food production – and may enhance it – such as farmers developing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to tackle this threat. Along with member states, the European Commission has established an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to prioritize application and partnership with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in Europe were threatened with extinction.
