The count of wild bee types in Europe experiencing dying out has more than doubled in the last ten years, whereas the number of at-risk butterfly species has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating species was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in European nations.
The number of butterfly types facing extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food supplies and our economic systems – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with threats increasing for butterflies and essential non-managed bee types.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also revealed to be a significant danger: 52% of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are threatened by the climate emergency – about double the number as a previous decade.
Up to 90% of flowering plants in the European continent depend on animal pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which have an essential part in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the mainland and the sole species of this genus in European nations, is now assessed as severely threatened – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become warmer but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of European endemics (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with bushes invading wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the ice to browse northern grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to reverse the decline in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are interested. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinators which will not decrease crop yields – and might boost it – such as farmers creating flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, described the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to confront this risk. Along with participating nations, the EU Commission has established an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to focus on execution and collaboration with member states to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in European nations were facing extinction.
