The total of non-managed bee varieties in Europe confronting extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, whereas the count of threatened butterfly species has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating insects was disclosed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least 172 bee types out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly species facing extinction in Europe has grown from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, conducted a decade and a half ago. One type, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with risks mounting for butterfly species and vital non-managed bee types.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of local extinctions.
Climate change is also revealed to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
As many as nine out of ten of flowering plants in Europe rely on animal pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, wild bee groups are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
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 species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the European continent and the single type of this genus group in European nations, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain tops are highly susceptible to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but in the end exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by intense drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with bushes invading wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no more cross the ice to feed on Arctic meadows and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties 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 flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in the European continent because of all these reasons,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease crop yields – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers developing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is required to tackle this risk. Together with member countries, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and collaboration with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further essential pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
