The count of non-managed bee varieties in Europe experiencing extinction has increased twofold in the last ten years, while the total of endangered butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating insects was unveiled by research studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly types at risk of extinction in Europe has grown from 37 to over sixty since the last study, conducted a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our well-being, our food supplies and our economic systems – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterfly species and essential native bee varieties.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a previous decade.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in Europe rely on animal pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which have an essential part in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, recognized 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 in Europe, is now assessed as critically endangered – the scientific category nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global warming as they must ascend higher as their environments become hotter but in the end run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are endangered by extreme wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is causing the timberline to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast across European nations because of all these reasons,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. It is hoped they can obtain the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers establishing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this danger. Together with member countries, the EU Commission has put in place an Europe-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with participating nations to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another essential pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in European nations were threatened with extinction.
