The number of wild bee types in the European continent confronting dying out has increased twofold in the last ten years, whereas the total of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in European nations.
The count of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has increased from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the previous assessment, carried out a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our well-being, our food supplies and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers growing for butterfly species and essential wild bee species.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the continuing destruction or damage of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the threat of local extinctions.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a major threat: 52% of all at-risk butterflies in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in European nations require pollination by animals, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, non-managed bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, known for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the mainland and the single type of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the research category most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global warming as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but eventually run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by extreme dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, climate change is causing the timberline to move north by many meters each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in the European continent because of all these factors,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to reverse the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are engaged. It is hoped they can receive the incentives that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as farmers creating flower-rich margins around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, described the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to confront this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the EU Commission has implemented an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
