The number of native bee types in Europe confronting dying out has increased twofold in the last ten years, while the number of threatened butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was revealed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least 172 bee types out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in European nations.
The count of butterfly types facing extinction in the European continent has increased from over thirty-five to 65 since the previous assessment, carried out over a decade past. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with risks growing for butterfly species and essential wild bee species.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the risk of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate emergency – roughly double the number as a previous decade.
Up to nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations depend on animal pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the continent and the only species of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific classification closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become hotter but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, climate change is leading to the tree line to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in the European continent because of all these elements,” remarked Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the decline in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. We hope they can obtain the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers developing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this threat. Together with member states, the European Commission has put in place an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize execution and partnership with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the first Europe-wide study on hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Released in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
