The number of wild bee species in Europe facing extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, whereas the count of at-risk butterfly has almost doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments 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 number of butterflies threatened with extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the earlier research, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our well-being, our food supplies and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with threats increasing for butterflies and essential non-managed bee varieties.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate change crisis – about twice as many as a previous decade.
Up to ninety percent of plants that flower in Europe depend on animal pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, known for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the continent and the sole species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the research category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global warming as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by severe drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Far North, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice to feed on northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these factors,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are involved. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating species which won’t reduce crop yields – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers developing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to address this danger. Along with member states, the European Commission has established an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to focus on execution and cooperation with member states to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional crucial pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in Europe were at risk of extinction.
