The number of non-managed bee species in European nations facing extinction has increased twofold over the past decade, and the count of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating species was revealed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least 172 bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly species threatened with extinction in the European continent has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the earlier research, performed 14 years ago. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food chains and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly species and crucial wild bee types.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all threatened butterflies in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a previous decade.
Up to 90% of flowering plants in Europe require insect pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Sadly, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which have an essential part in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the mainland and the sole species of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are only found on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global warming as they need to move uphill as their habitats become warmer but ultimately 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 species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are threatened by intense drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, climate change is resulting in the forest boundary to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to feed on 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 largest habitat for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these factors,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to turn around the decline in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. We hope they can get the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating species which won’t reduce crop yields – and might boost it – such as farmers developing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this danger. Along with member countries, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an European Union-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to focus on implementation and partnership with participating nations to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another vital pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in European nations were at risk of extinction.
