The total of native bee species in Europe facing dying out has over doubled in the last ten years, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly species has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least 172 bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies threatened with extinction in European nations has grown from 37 to over sixty since the earlier research, conducted over a decade past. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food systems and our economic systems – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats mounting for butterflies and vital wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the continuing harm or degradation of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also revealed to be a major threat: Over half of all at-risk butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Up to ninety percent of flowering plants in European nations rely on pollination by animals, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, native bee populations are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many native plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, known for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the mainland and the only species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific classification nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global warming as they must ascend higher as their environments become more heated but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, climate change is resulting in the tree line to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush taking over bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no longer cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these factors,” said Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to reverse the decline in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating species which won’t reduce crop yields – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers establishing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the protection status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has implemented an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to focus on execution and cooperation with participating nations to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the pioneering Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional crucial group of pollinators. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
