The count of non-managed bee varieties in Europe confronting extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, while the number of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinating insects was unveiled by research studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, conducted over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food chains and our economies – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with risks mounting for butterfly species and vital native bee types.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the continuing harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also revealed to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterflies in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
As many as ninety percent of plants that flower in European nations depend on pollination by animals, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, native bee populations are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the mainland and the sole species of this genus in Europe, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific classification nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they have to climb upward as their environments become warmer but ultimately run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by intense drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the timberline to move north by many meters each year, with underbrush invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest environment for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly in European nations because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to reverse the decrease in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will support them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as farmers establishing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, described the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to tackle this threat. Together with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on application and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the pioneering EU-wide study on hoverflies, another vital pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were facing extinction.
