The total of native bee species in Europe facing extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, whereas the total of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating insects was revealed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly types facing extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to 65 since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food systems and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly types and essential native bee types.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also revealed to be a major threat: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
As many as nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations depend on insect pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many native plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, known for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the continent and the only species of this biological genus in European nations, is now classified as severely threatened – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on mountain tops are highly susceptible to climate change as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is causing the forest boundary to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with scrub taking over marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest environment for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly in the European continent because of all these elements,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to reverse the decrease in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are engaged. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which won’t reduce food production – and may enhance it – such as farmers creating bloom-filled edges around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to tackle this threat. Together with member countries, the EU Commission has put in place an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the pioneering Europe-wide study on hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in the European continent were facing extinction.
