The number of wild bee types in the European continent facing extinction has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the count of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee species out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has increased from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the previous assessment, conducted a decade and a half ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food chains and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with dangers increasing for butterfly species and essential non-managed bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing harm or degradation of habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the danger of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: Over half of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate emergency – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.
Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in Europe depend on pollination by animals, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Sadly, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many native plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, known for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the continent and the single type of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain tops are highly susceptible to global warming as they need to move uphill as their habitats become hotter but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by severe dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is causing the forest boundary to advance northwards by many meters each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can no more cross the frozen water to graze Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these reasons,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to halt the drop in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are engaged. Let’s hope they can get the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease food production – and could improve it – such as growers establishing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this threat. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has established an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and cooperation with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the first EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial group of pollinators. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
