The number of non-managed bee varieties in European nations experiencing disappearance has over doubled over the past decade, while the number of threatened butterfly has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating insects was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee varieties out of over 1900 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has grown from 37 to 65 since the previous assessment, carried out a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food supplies and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterfly types and vital wild bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate change crisis – about double the number as a decade ago.
Nearly ninety percent of blooming plants in the European continent require animal pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, wild bee groups are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the continent and the sole species of this biological genus in European nations, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but in the end have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by extreme drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Far North, climate change is resulting in the forest boundary to move north by many meters each year, with underbrush taking over marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice to feed on northern grasslands and maintain them clear. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly across Europe because of all these elements,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are involved. It is hoped they can obtain the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to confront this risk. Together with participating nations, the EU Commission has implemented an EU-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to focus on implementation and collaboration with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
