The total of non-managed bee varieties in the European continent confronting disappearance has more than doubled in the last ten years, and the number of at-risk butterfly species has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was revealed by research studies for the red list of threatened species, 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 facing extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to sixty-five since the last study, performed over a decade past. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural value, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” said the IUCN director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterflies and crucial native bee types.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the risk of local extinctions.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Up to 90% of blooming plants in European nations require animal pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many native 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 perform a vital function in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, known for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the European continent and the only species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global warming as they must ascend higher as their habitats become warmer but eventually run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of European endemics (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by extreme dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is leading to the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with underbrush invading wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to feed on Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these factors,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are engaged. We hope they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers establishing bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this danger. In collaboration with member states, the European Commission has established an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to prioritize execution and partnership with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the first Europe-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
