The number of native bee varieties in Europe confronting extinction has increased twofold in the last ten years, whereas the number of endangered butterfly has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least over 170 bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The count of butterfly species at risk of extinction in the European continent has grown from 37 to over sixty since the last study, carried out over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats increasing for butterfly types and crucial native bee species.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also shown to be a major threat: 52% of all at-risk butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate emergency – roughly twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of plants that flower in Europe depend on insect pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many native plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the mainland and the sole species of this genus group in Europe, is now classified as critically endangered – the scientific category nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become warmer but eventually exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is causing the tree line to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can receive the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and might boost it – such as farmers establishing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to address this risk. Along with member countries, the EU Commission has established an EU-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to focus on execution and collaboration with member states to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the initial European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further vital pollinating insect category. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
