The total of non-managed bee types in the European continent confronting disappearance has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly types has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating insects was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which found that at least 172 bee types out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types facing extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the previous assessment, performed over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our health, our food supplies and our economies – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with risks growing for butterfly types and vital wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing harm or degradation of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of local extinctions.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Over half of all threatened butterfly types in Europe are endangered by the climate emergency – about double the number as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in Europe require pollination by animals, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, known for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the European continent and the only species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain tops are especially at risk to global warming as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but eventually have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by severe dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global warming is leading to the forest boundary to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with underbrush encroaching on marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast in the European continent because of all these elements,” stated Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinating species by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. Let’s hope they can get the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not lower crop yields – and may enhance it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this risk. In collaboration with participating nations, the EU Commission has implemented an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were facing extinction.
