The count of wild bee varieties in Europe facing extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of endangered butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinating species was unveiled by research studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has risen from thirty-seven to 65 since the last study, performed 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our health, our food supplies and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats increasing for butterfly types and essential wild bee types.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the continuing harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a major threat: 52% of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are threatened by the climate change crisis – approximately twice as many as a decade ago.
Nearly 90% of flowering plants in European nations require insect pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, native bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the continent and the single type of this biological genus in European nations, is now classified as critically endangered – the scientific category closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to climate change as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become more heated but eventually run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are threatened by intense wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is causing the tree line to move north by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in Europe because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “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 turn around the decrease in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are involved. It is hoped they can receive the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as farmers establishing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to confront this danger. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to focus on application and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in European nations were at risk of extinction.
