The number of native bee species in the European continent confronting extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, while the total of endangered butterfly has close to doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinators was unveiled by research studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterflies at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food chains and our economies – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with threats increasing for butterflies and crucial native bee species.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the continuing harm or degradation of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the threat of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are endangered by the climate crisis – about double the number as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of flowering plants in European nations depend on pollination by animals, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many native plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the European continent and the single type of this genus group in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are only found on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they must ascend higher as their environments become warmer but eventually run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global warming is leading to the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with underbrush invading wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these factors,” stated a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are involved. We hope they can obtain the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinators which won’t reduce crop yields – and may enhance it – such as growers establishing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this danger. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has established an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to focus on application and collaboration with member countries to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the initial European-wide study on hoverflies, another vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
