The count of native bee varieties in the European continent confronting disappearance has increased twofold in the last ten years, while the total of endangered butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating species was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which established that at least 172 bee types out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly species threatened with extinction in the European continent has risen from 37 to 65 since the previous assessment, conducted a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly types and crucial non-managed bee species.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the danger of local extinctions.
Global warming is also revealed to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly types in European nations are imperilled by the climate change crisis – roughly double the number as a decade ago.
As many as nine out of ten of blooming plants in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Sadly, wild bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the continent and the sole species of this genus group in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global warming as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but eventually run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by intense drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global heating is causing the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with underbrush encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly throughout the European continent because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. Let’s hope they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, described the protection status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to confront this threat. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and collaboration with member states to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the pioneering Europe-wide study on hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Released in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
