The number of non-managed bee varieties in Europe confronting disappearance has increased twofold over the past decade, while the count of threatened butterfly species has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating insects was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least over 170 bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in European nations.
The count of butterflies at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the earlier research, carried out 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our well-being, our food supplies and our financial structures – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterfly species and crucial non-managed bee species.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the persistent destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also revealed to be a significant danger: 52% of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are threatened by the climate emergency – about double the number as a decade ago.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in the European continent depend on insect pollination, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, wild bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, known for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the mainland and the single type of this genus group in European nations, is now assessed as critically endangered – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their habitats become hotter but eventually have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is resulting in the forest boundary to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes invading wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the frozen water to feed on northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are engaged. We hope they can obtain the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not decrease crop yields – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers creating bloom-filled edges around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to confront this danger. Together with member countries, the EU Commission has put in place an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to prioritize execution and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the pioneering European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in European nations were threatened with extinction.
