The count of native bee types in Europe confronting extinction has increased twofold in the last ten years, while the total of at-risk butterfly types has almost doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least 172 bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly types facing extinction in Europe has increased from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food supplies and our economic systems – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with dangers increasing for butterfly types and essential native bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the persistent damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Nearly ninety percent of plants that flower in European nations depend on animal pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many native plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the European continent and the sole species of this genus group in European nations, is now classified as critically at risk – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain tops are especially at risk to global warming as they must ascend higher as their habitats become warmer but eventually have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by severe wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global warming is resulting in the forest boundary to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. 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 interested. Let’s hope they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating species which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to tackle this risk. Along with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and partnership with participating nations to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further crucial group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
