The total of non-managed bee types in Europe facing extinction has increased twofold in the last ten years, and the count of at-risk butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least over 170 bee species out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types facing extinction in the European continent has increased from 37 to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with dangers increasing for butterflies and crucial non-managed bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the continuing destruction or damage of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are threatened by the climate emergency – roughly double the number as a previous decade.
As many as 90% of blooming plants in the European continent rely on insect pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many native plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, known for fertilizing trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the European continent and the sole species of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become hotter but eventually exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is causing the forest boundary to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub taking over marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly across Europe because of all these elements,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to halt the decline in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are interested. We hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not decrease agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers creating flower-rich margins around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to tackle this threat. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize application and collaboration with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital group of pollinators. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were facing extinction.
