The count of wild bee species in Europe confronting dying out has more than doubled in the last ten years, while the number of endangered butterfly species has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinating insects was revealed by research studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of over 1900 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has increased from thirty-seven to 65 since the last study, conducted a decade and a half ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food chains and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats increasing for butterfly species and essential native bee varieties.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent damage or destruction of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also shown to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Nearly 90% of flowering plants in European nations rely on insect pollination, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, known for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the European continent and the only species of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific category most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are only found on mountain tops are highly susceptible to climate change as they need to move uphill as their habitats become warmer but in the end run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by severe wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global heating is resulting in the tree line to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush invading wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can no more cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly across European nations because of all these reasons,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to turn around the decrease in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. We hope they can get the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to tackle this threat. Along with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize application and collaboration with participating nations to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the initial European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another essential pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
