The number of wild bee varieties in the European continent facing disappearance has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the number of at-risk butterfly species has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee varieties out of over 1900 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species facing extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to 65 since the last study, carried out 14 years ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our health, our food systems and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with dangers mounting for butterfly types and crucial native bee species.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing damage or destruction of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – roughly double the number as a previous decade.
Up to nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations depend on insect pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the continent and the only species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific classification nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become hotter but ultimately exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by severe wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global heating is causing the forest boundary to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice to browse northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these elements,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to turn around the decrease in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are involved. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as farmers creating bloom-filled edges around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the protection status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to confront this risk. Along with participating nations, the EU Commission has put in place an Europe-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize execution and cooperation with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the pioneering Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another vital pollinator group. Published in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly species in European nations were threatened with extinction.
