The count of non-managed bee varieties in Europe facing disappearance has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the count of threatened butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinators was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee types out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly types threatened with extinction in Europe has increased from over thirty-five to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food chains and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with threats mounting for butterflies and vital non-managed bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the continuing destruction or damage of living environments caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the risk of local extinctions.
Climate change is also revealed to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate crisis – approximately twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to ninety percent of blooming plants in the European continent rely on animal pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, native bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many native plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the mainland and the single type of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the research category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they must ascend higher as their habitats become hotter but ultimately have no room left. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is resulting in the timberline to move north by many meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly in Europe because of all these elements,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to reverse the drop in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are interested. We hope they can obtain the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on application and collaboration with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the pioneering EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly types in European nations were at risk of extinction.
