The number of non-managed bee species in Europe experiencing disappearance has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, while the total of endangered butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food chains and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with threats growing for butterflies and essential non-managed bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also shown to be a major threat: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in European nations are endangered by the climate crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in Europe rely on insect pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, famous for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the European continent and the only species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their environments become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global warming is causing the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with bushes taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these factors,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people 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 landowners who are interested. Let’s hope they can get the motivations that will help them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease food production – and could improve it – such as growers creating bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, described the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to confront this danger. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and partnership with participating nations to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the first EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Released in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were facing extinction.
