The number of non-managed bee species in Europe experiencing dying out has more than doubled in the last ten years, and the total of at-risk butterfly has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinators was disclosed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The count of butterflies facing extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, carried out 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with threats mounting for butterfly types and crucial non-managed bee species.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of local extinctions.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Up to 90% of plants that flower in the European continent require pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the European continent and the single type of this genus in European nations, is now classified as critically at risk – the research category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain tops are highly susceptible to climate change as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become hotter but eventually exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is causing the tree line to advance northwards by many meters each year, with bushes encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice to graze Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly in the European continent because of all these elements,” remarked Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are interested. It is hoped they can obtain the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and may enhance it – such as farmers creating bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this threat. Together with member countries, the EU Commission has put in place an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize execution and cooperation with member states to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in European nations were threatened with extinction.
