The count of non-managed bee types in Europe confronting dying out has more than doubled in the last ten years, whereas the number of at-risk butterfly types has almost doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least over 170 bee types out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in Europe.
The total of butterflies at risk of extinction in Europe has grown from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, performed over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with threats increasing for butterfly species and vital wild bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in the European continent are threatened by the climate change crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
As many as nine out of ten of blooming plants in the European continent rely on insect pollination, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many non-cultivated 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 perform a vital function in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, famous for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the European continent and the only species of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific classification nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their habitats become hotter but eventually run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by severe dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is causing the tree line to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with scrub taking over wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no longer cross the ice to graze Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these reasons,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to reverse the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are involved. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and may enhance it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is required to tackle this risk. In collaboration with participating nations, the European Commission has established an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to prioritize application and cooperation with member states to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the initial EU-wide study on hoverflies, a further essential pollinator group. Released in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were threatened with extinction.
