The number of non-managed bee species in European nations facing extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, and the count of threatened butterfly species has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to over sixty since the last study, performed 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food chains and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with risks growing for butterflies and crucial native bee varieties.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – about double the number as a decade ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations depend on pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee colonies are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees die out, many native plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the continent and the only species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain tops are especially at risk to global heating as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are imperilled by severe wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the timberline to move north by tens of metres each year, with scrub encroaching on bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly throughout Europe because of all these elements,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are involved. It is hoped they can receive the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease food production – and may enhance it – such as growers developing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this danger. Along with member states, the European Commission has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and cooperation with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the first Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional essential group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in European nations were threatened with extinction.
