The total of native bee varieties in European nations facing disappearance has more than doubled over the past decade, whereas the number of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with dangers increasing for butterfly types and crucial non-managed bee varieties.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the continuing harm or degradation of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the risk of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly types in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – about twofold the amount as a previous decade.
As many as 90% of plants that flower in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, native bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many native plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, 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 only species of this genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global heating as they have to climb upward as their habitats become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of European endemics (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by extreme drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is causing the timberline to move north by tens of metres each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the frozen water to feed on northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly across Europe because of all these elements,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to halt the drop in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. It is hoped they can get the motivations that will support them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Prompt and unified steps is required to tackle this threat. Together with participating nations, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and cooperation with member countries to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
