The number of native bee varieties in European nations confronting extinction has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was revealed by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least over 170 bee species out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The count of butterflies at risk of extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out over a decade past. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our well-being, our food systems and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly types and essential native bee species.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are endangered by the climate crisis – roughly double the number as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of plants that flower in European nations rely on insect pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee populations are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees die out, many native plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in pollinating crops such as 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 species found only in the European continent and the sole species of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is leading to the timberline to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice to graze northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast throughout European nations because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to turn around the decline in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are interested. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease food production – and might boost it – such as farmers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to address this danger. Along with member states, the EU Commission has established an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to prioritize application and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the initial EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, another vital pollinator group. Published in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
