The count of native bee varieties in Europe facing dying out has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, whereas the count of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies facing extinction in the European continent has grown from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, carried out over a decade past. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with dangers increasing for butterflies and crucial non-managed bee types.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of living environments caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global heating is also shown to be a significant danger: Over half of all threatened butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – about twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Up to ninety percent of flowering plants in Europe rely on pollination by animals, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the European continent and the single type of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the research category nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to climate change as they have to climb upward as their environments become hotter but eventually have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, global warming is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with underbrush encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no more cross the ice to graze Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in the European continent because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to turn around the decrease in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and might boost it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this risk. Along with member countries, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to focus on application and cooperation with participating nations to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide study on hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in the European continent were facing extinction.
