The number of wild bee varieties in the European continent experiencing extinction has more than doubled in the last ten years, and the total of endangered butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinators was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee species out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly species threatened with extinction in European nations has increased from 37 to sixty-five since the earlier research, performed 14 years ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with dangers growing for butterfly types and vital native bee types.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of local extinctions.
Global heating is also revealed to be a significant danger: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – roughly twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to ninety percent of flowering plants in the European continent rely on insect pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, wild bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many native plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the mainland and the sole species of this biological genus in European nations, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global heating as they must ascend higher as their environments become more heated but ultimately run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is causing the tree line to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to browse Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many people care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to halt the drop in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are engaged. Let’s hope they can get the motivations that will help them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating species which won’t reduce agricultural output – and might boost it – such as agricultural producers developing flower-rich margins around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, described the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this danger. In collaboration with participating nations, the European Commission has put in place an Europe-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the first European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinator group. Published in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly species in European nations were at risk of extinction.
