The count of native bee species in European nations experiencing disappearance has over doubled over the past decade, while the count of at-risk butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinating species was revealed by research studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least 172 bee species out of over 1900 were facing extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has increased from 37 to 65 since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our health, our food chains and our economies – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterfly species and vital native bee types.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: Over half of all endangered butterflies in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – about twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations depend on pollination by animals, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many native plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the European continent and the single type of this genus group in the European continent, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain tops are especially at risk to global heating as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become more heated but eventually exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are imperilled by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, global warming is leading to the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no more cross the frozen water to graze northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in Europe because of all these elements,” remarked Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to halt the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are interested. It is hoped they can receive the incentives that will assist them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers creating flower-rich margins around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to address this danger. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize execution and collaboration with participating nations to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the initial Europe-wide study on hoverflies, another essential pollinator group. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in Europe were facing extinction.
