The count of non-managed bee types in European nations facing extinction has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, while the number of at-risk butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinators was disclosed by research studies for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least over 170 bee species out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterflies at risk of extinction in the European continent has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the previous assessment, carried out 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food systems and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly types and vital wild bee species.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the continuing harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterflies in Europe are threatened by the climate emergency – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.
As many as nine out of ten of flowering plants in the European continent rely on animal pollination, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, 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 types, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the continent and the only species of this genus group in the European continent, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global heating as they have to climb upward as their habitats become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by intense drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, global heating is causing the forest boundary to move north by many meters each year, with bushes invading marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly across European nations because of all these elements,” stated Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to reverse the decrease in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. We hope they can obtain the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which won’t reduce agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers establishing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to tackle this danger. In collaboration with member countries, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinator group. Released in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in European nations were at risk of extinction.
