The count of native bee varieties in Europe facing dying out has increased twofold over the past decade, while the count of endangered butterfly types has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating insects was disclosed by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has risen from thirty-seven to 65 since the earlier research, performed over a decade past. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with threats increasing for butterfly types and vital native bee species.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the continuing harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the threat of local extinctions.
Global warming is also revealed to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterflies in European nations are imperilled by the climate crisis – roughly twice as many as a decade ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, non-managed bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the European continent and the single type of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are solely present on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but in the end exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global heating is resulting in the forest boundary to move north by many meters each year, with bushes encroaching on marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice sheets to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast in Europe because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinating insects by the year 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can get the motivations that will help them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers establishing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, described the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to tackle this danger. Along with participating nations, the EU Commission has established an Europe-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and cooperation with member states to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another crucial group of pollinators. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were at risk of extinction.
