The number of non-managed bee varieties in European nations confronting disappearance has more than doubled over the past decade, whereas the total of threatened butterfly has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies threatened with extinction in European nations has grown from 37 to sixty-five since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with risks increasing for butterfly species and vital non-managed bee species.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also revealed to be a significant danger: 52% of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
As many as ninety percent of plants that flower in Europe require animal pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the European continent and the only species of this biological genus in Europe, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they need to move uphill as their habitats become hotter but eventually exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by severe dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, climate change is leading to the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub invading wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic meadows and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” remarked Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to turn around the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are engaged. It is hoped they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating species which won’t reduce food production – and could improve it – such as growers establishing flower-rich margins around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this risk. In collaboration with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an European Union-wide observation system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize application and cooperation with member states to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the first European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional essential pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were facing extinction.
