The number of non-managed bee species in Europe facing dying out has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the count of at-risk butterfly species has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to 65 since the previous assessment, carried out over a decade past. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food supplies and our financial structures – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterflies and crucial wild bee varieties.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of local extinctions.
Climate change is also revealed to be a major threat: Over half of all at-risk butterflies in the European continent are endangered by the climate crisis – approximately twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to ninety percent of flowering plants in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, non-managed bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, famous for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the mainland and the sole species of this genus group in the European continent, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they must ascend higher as their habitats become hotter but in the end have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are imperilled by extreme dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the tree line to move north by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to browse northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast across Europe because of all these reasons,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to reverse the drop in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are involved. It is hoped they can receive the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which won’t reduce crop yields – and could improve it – such as growers establishing margins rich in flowers around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the protection status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to address this threat. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an European Union-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to focus on application and partnership with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the pioneering EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were at risk of extinction.
