The total of native bee species in European nations experiencing extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, while the count of endangered butterfly species has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee types out of over 1900 were facing extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly species at risk of extinction in European nations has risen from thirty-seven to over sixty since the last study, carried out 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are essential supports 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 latest European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with risks growing for butterflies and essential native bee species.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing destruction or damage of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the danger of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also revealed to be a major threat: Over half of all endangered butterflies in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in the European continent rely on pollination by animals, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many native plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the continent and the only species of this biological genus in European nations, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific classification most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global heating as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become warmer but eventually exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is leading to the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast throughout European nations because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to turn around the decrease in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are involved. It is hoped they can get the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to address this risk. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to prioritize application and collaboration with participating nations to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the initial European-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in European nations were facing extinction.
