The count of wild bee species in Europe experiencing extinction has increased twofold in the last ten years, whereas the total of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to 65 since the earlier research, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterflies and vital non-managed bee species.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing destruction or damage of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also revealed to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly types in European nations are endangered by the climate crisis – about twice as many as a previous decade.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in the European continent depend on insect pollination, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee colonies are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many native plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the European continent and the only species of this genus in European nations, is now classified as critically endangered – the research category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub invading wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” remarked Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to reverse the decrease in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can receive the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating species which will not decrease agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers developing flower-rich margins around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, described the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this threat. Together with member states, the Commission of the European Union has established an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to focus on application and cooperation with member countries to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, another crucial pollinator group. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
