The count of non-managed bee species in European nations experiencing dying out has increased twofold over the past decade, while the count of at-risk butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was unveiled by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in Europe.
The total of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has increased from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the earlier research, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterfly types and essential native bee varieties.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the persistent damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also revealed to be a significant danger: Over half of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – approximately double the number as a decade ago.
As many as nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations rely on animal pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, native bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of crops such as 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 species exclusive to the European continent and the single type of this genus group in Europe, is now classified as critically at risk – the research category most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become hotter but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is leading to the forest boundary to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” stated Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are interested. Let’s hope they can obtain the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinators which will not decrease food production – and might boost it – such as growers developing margins rich in flowers around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this risk. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has established an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to focus on execution and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the pioneering Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in European nations were threatened with extinction.
