The count of native bee varieties in the European continent confronting extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of endangered butterfly has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species threatened with extinction in European nations has grown from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the earlier research, conducted over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our health, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with threats increasing for butterfly types and essential non-managed bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing harm or degradation of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the threat of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: Over half of all endangered butterflies in the European continent 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 insect pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many native plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the European continent and the sole species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on mountain peaks are especially at risk to climate change as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but in the end have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by intense wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the tree line to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush taking over wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to feed on northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these elements,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to turn around the drop in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As stated by the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and might boost it – such as growers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this risk. Along with member states, the European Commission has put in place an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize application and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the pioneering EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential pollinator group. Released in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in European nations were facing extinction.
