The total of wild bee types in the European continent facing disappearance has more than doubled in the last ten years, and the count of threatened butterfly species has close to doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinating species was revealed by research studies for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least 172 bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly species at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. One type, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our health, our food systems and our financial structures – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with risks increasing for butterfly types and crucial wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterflies in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – about twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Up to ninety percent of blooming plants in the European continent rely on pollination by animals, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Sadly, native bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the mainland and the only species of this biological genus in European nations, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global warming as they must ascend higher as their habitats become hotter but eventually have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are imperilled by severe dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is leading to the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly throughout European nations because of all these elements,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to reverse the decline in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will help them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinating species which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, described the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to address this danger. Together with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to focus on implementation and cooperation with member states to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further essential group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in European nations were at risk of extinction.
