The count of non-managed bee varieties in European nations facing dying out has more than doubled in the last ten years, whereas the total of endangered butterfly types has almost doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The count of butterflies at risk of extinction in European nations has increased from thirty-seven to over sixty since the previous assessment, conducted a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economies – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterfly types and vital wild bee species.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the ongoing damage or destruction of habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – about double the number as a previous decade.
Up to ninety percent of plants that flower in the European continent rely on animal pollination, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, famous for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the mainland and the only species of this genus group in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their habitats become warmer but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is causing the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast across the European continent because of all these elements,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the decline in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are involved. It is hoped they can get the motivations that will help them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinators which will not decrease food production – and may enhance it – such as farmers developing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to confront this risk. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an EU-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize application and collaboration with participating nations to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional crucial pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in Europe were facing extinction.
