The number of native bee species in Europe confronting disappearance has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinators was unveiled by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least over 170 bee varieties out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly species at risk of extinction in Europe has grown from over thirty-five to 65 since the previous assessment, performed over a decade past. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal major obstacles, with dangers mounting for butterflies and essential wild bee species.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the continuing harm or degradation of living environments caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to ninety percent of plants that flower in European nations require pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the continent and the single type of this genus group in the European continent, is now assessed as critically at risk – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become hotter but eventually have no room left. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of European endemics (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by severe drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with scrub taking over wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no more cross the ice to browse Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly across European nations because of all these reasons,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to halt the decrease in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are engaged. It is hoped they can obtain the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating species which will not decrease crop yields – and could improve it – such as growers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, described the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to confront this danger. In collaboration with member countries, the EU Commission has implemented an Europe-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 execution and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering European-wide study on hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
