The count of wild bee types in Europe facing disappearance has increased twofold in the last ten years, and the total of endangered butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating species was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in European nations.
The number of butterfly species facing extinction in the European continent has risen from thirty-seven to 65 since the last study, performed a decade and a half ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food supplies and our financial structures – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with threats increasing for butterflies and essential non-managed bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global heating is also revealed to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – roughly double the number as a ten years ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of flowering plants in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which have an essential part in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the continent and the only species of this genus group in Europe, is now assessed as critically at risk – the research category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become hotter but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by extreme dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the tree line to move north by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to feed on northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly throughout European nations because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to halt the decline in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are interested. We hope they can get the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating species which won’t reduce food production – and may enhance it – such as farmers developing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, described the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to address this risk. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to focus on execution and partnership with member states to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the first European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional essential pollinator group. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were threatened with extinction.
