The total of non-managed bee species in Europe experiencing extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of threatened butterfly has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least 172 bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has increased from 37 to sixty-five since the previous assessment, conducted over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food chains and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with dangers mounting for butterfly types and vital wild bee types.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the persistent destruction or damage of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterflies in European nations are imperilled by the climate change crisis – roughly double the number as a decade ago.
Nearly ninety percent of flowering plants in the European continent depend on pollination by animals, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee colonies are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, known for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the mainland and the sole species of this genus in the European continent, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their environments become hotter but eventually run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are imperilled by extreme wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is resulting in the timberline to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the ice to feed on Arctic meadows and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast in Europe because of all these factors,” said Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to halt the decrease in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are involved. We hope they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as farmers developing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to address this danger. Along with member states, the EU Commission has implemented an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and cooperation with participating nations to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the first EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further essential group of pollinators. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in European nations were facing extinction.
