The number of native bee species in Europe experiencing dying out has increased twofold over the past decade, whereas the total of endangered butterfly has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinators was unveiled by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least 172 bee types out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies facing extinction in the European continent has increased from thirty-seven to 65 since the previous assessment, performed over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with risks growing for butterfly types and essential wild bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the risk of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all at-risk butterfly species in European nations are threatened by the climate emergency – about twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in Europe rely on pollination by animals, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, wild bee colonies are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the European continent and the only species of this genus in European nations, is now assessed as critically endangered – the scientific classification nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become hotter but ultimately run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by extreme drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is resulting in the timberline to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with bushes invading wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly throughout European nations because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to turn around the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as farmers establishing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is required to address this risk. In collaboration with participating nations, the EU Commission has established an Europe-wide observation system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and cooperation with member countries to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional vital pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly species in European nations were facing extinction.
