The total of non-managed bee varieties in Europe confronting extinction has over doubled over the past decade, whereas the number of endangered butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was unveiled 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 the European continent.
The number of butterfly types threatened with extinction in Europe has increased from 37 to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food chains and our economic systems – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterfly species and crucial wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing harm or degradation of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in European nations are threatened by the climate emergency – roughly double the number as a previous decade.
As many as ninety percent of flowering plants in the European continent depend on insect pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many native plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, recognized for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the European continent and the sole species of this biological genus in European nations, is now assessed as severely threatened – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain tops are especially at risk to global heating as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become hotter but eventually exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of European endemics (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is resulting in the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with bushes encroaching on marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice to feed on northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly across European nations because of all these reasons,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to halt the decline in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are involved. We hope they can receive the incentives that will help them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which won’t reduce crop yields – and may enhance it – such as farmers creating flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this risk. Along with participating nations, the EU Commission has established an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and cooperation with member countries to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the first EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, another vital pollinating insect category. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly types in Europe were at risk of extinction.
