The number of native bee varieties in European nations confronting disappearance has more than doubled over the past decade, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies threatened with extinction in European nations has grown from 37 to over sixty since the last study, conducted over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with dangers mounting for butterflies and essential native bee varieties.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global warming is also shown to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in the European continent are endangered by the climate crisis – about double the number as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of flowering plants in the European continent depend on animal pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many native plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the European continent and the single type of this genus in European nations, is now assessed as critically at risk – the scientific category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become hotter but ultimately exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by extreme dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Far North, climate change is causing the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes invading marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast throughout Europe because of all these factors,” remarked Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. It is hoped they can obtain the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinating species which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers establishing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the protection status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to confront this danger. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinators 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 participating nations to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the initial European-wide assessment of hoverflies, another vital pollinator group. Published in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly types in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
