The number of native bee types in Europe experiencing disappearance has increased twofold over the past decade, and the number of endangered butterfly types has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The count of butterflies facing extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, performed 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterflies and essential native bee varieties.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the persistent destruction or damage of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also revealed to be a significant danger: Over half of all threatened butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – about twice as many as a decade ago.
Up to nine out of ten of flowering plants in the European continent rely on pollination by animals, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, native bee groups are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many native plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, famous for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the mainland and the sole species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically at risk – the scientific category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are only found on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to climate change as they have to climb upward as their environments become warmer but in the end exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by intense wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is resulting in the tree line to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with scrub encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the frozen water to graze Arctic grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these elements,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are engaged. We hope they can obtain the motivations that will help them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as growers developing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, described the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to tackle this danger. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has established an EU-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on application and collaboration with member states to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the initial Europe-wide study on hoverflies, a further vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in European nations were at risk of extinction.
