The count of non-managed bee varieties in European nations facing disappearance has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the total of threatened butterfly species has almost doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating species was revealed by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies at risk of extinction in the European continent has increased from 37 to 65 since the last study, performed over a decade past. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our well-being, our food chains and our economies – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterfly types and crucial wild bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of local extinctions.
Global heating is also shown to be a major threat: 52% of all at-risk butterflies in Europe are threatened by the climate crisis – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.
Up to 90% of blooming plants in the European continent require pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, native bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many wild 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 play a crucial role in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the European continent and the only species of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the research category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global warming as they need to move uphill as their habitats become more heated but eventually exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, species such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by severe wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is causing the tree line to move north by many meters each year, with bushes invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the ice sheets to graze northern grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest living space for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in the European continent because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to halt the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are interested. We hope they can obtain the motivations that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinators which will not decrease food production – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers developing bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this threat. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an European Union-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to focus on execution and collaboration with member countries to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first European-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
