The count of non-managed bee species in Europe confronting disappearance has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, and the number of endangered butterfly has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, conducted a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterflies and vital wild bee species.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the persistent harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Over half of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly double the number as a decade ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of flowering plants in the European continent require insect pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, famous for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the continent and the only species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are only found on mountain tops are highly susceptible to climate change as they need to move uphill as their environments become hotter but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are endangered by severe dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is causing the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these factors,” remarked Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to reverse the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not decrease agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers creating margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to address this risk. Along with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to focus on implementation and collaboration with member states to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the pioneering EU-wide study on hoverflies, another vital pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were facing extinction.
