The total of non-managed bee types in Europe confronting dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the number of endangered butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinating species was revealed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly species at risk of extinction in Europe has grown from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the previous assessment, performed over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with risks mounting for butterfly species and crucial non-managed bee types.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the continuing harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the risk of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in European nations rely on insect pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, native bee populations are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, known for fertilizing trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the mainland and the single type of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific classification closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are only found on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they have to climb upward as their environments become hotter but in the end run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by severe drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is resulting in the tree line to advance northwards by many meters each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no longer cross the frozen water to browse northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly in the European continent because of all these factors,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. It is hoped they can receive the incentives that will support them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating insects which won’t reduce food production – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers creating flower-rich margins around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to tackle this risk. Along with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to prioritize execution and partnership with member states to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional crucial group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly types in European nations were at risk of extinction.
