The total of non-managed bee species in the European continent facing disappearance has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the count of at-risk butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly species threatened with extinction in European nations has risen from thirty-seven to over sixty since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food supplies and our economies – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with dangers growing for butterflies and vital wild bee varieties.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the continuing harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Over half of all at-risk butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.
Up to ninety percent of flowering plants in Europe require animal pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, non-managed bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows and 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 assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become warmer but eventually run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by intense drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, climate change is causing the forest boundary to advance northwards by many meters each year, with underbrush taking over marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice to graze Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly in Europe because of all these factors,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the drop in pollinating species 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 obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinators which won’t reduce food production – and might boost it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is required to confront this danger. In collaboration with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has established an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize application and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the pioneering European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further essential pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
