The number of non-managed bee types in European nations experiencing extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the count of endangered butterfly has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least 172 bee varieties out of over 1900 were facing extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly species facing extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, performed over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our health, our food chains and our economies – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with risks mounting for butterflies and essential non-managed bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the continuing destruction or damage of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – approximately double the number as a decade ago.
As many as 90% of blooming plants in European nations rely on insect pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, native bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the European continent and the single type of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their habitats become warmer but in the end run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by extreme wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is leading to the timberline to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can no more cross the frozen water to feed on northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast across the European continent because of all these elements,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to turn around the decline in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are involved. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinators which won’t reduce crop yields – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers creating margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this threat. In collaboration with member states, the European Commission has established an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and partnership with member states to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the pioneering Europe-wide study on hoverflies, another vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were at risk of extinction.
