The total of native bee species in Europe experiencing disappearance has increased twofold in the last ten years, whereas the count of endangered butterfly has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinating species was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least over 170 bee species out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The total of butterfly types facing extinction in the European continent has grown from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, performed a decade and a half ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterfly types and essential native bee types.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the continuing harm or degradation of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterflies in Europe are threatened by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a previous decade.
Nearly nine out of ten of blooming plants in the European continent rely on animal pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, wild bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, famous for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the mainland and the single type of this genus in European nations, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their habitats become hotter but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are imperilled by extreme dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to reverse the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can receive the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as growers creating flower-rich margins around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, described the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to confront this risk. In collaboration with participating nations, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to focus on execution and partnership with member states to safeguard 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 pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly species in European nations were facing extinction.
