The total of non-managed bee species in European nations facing dying out has more than doubled in the last ten years, while the count of at-risk butterfly species has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types threatened with extinction in Europe has grown from 37 to sixty-five since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our well-being, our food chains and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterfly species and essential wild bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in European nations rely on insect pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, wild bee groups are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the European continent and the sole species of this biological genus in Europe, is now assessed as severely threatened – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to climate change as they must ascend higher as their habitats become warmer but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of European endemics (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by intense drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is leading to the forest boundary to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the ice sheets to browse Arctic grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinating insects by the year 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are interested. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating species which won’t reduce food production – and could improve it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to address this threat. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to focus on implementation and cooperation with member states to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial European-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
