The total of non-managed bee species in the European continent confronting extinction has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the count of at-risk butterfly types has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which determined that at least over 170 bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in European nations.
The total of butterfly species facing extinction in Europe has increased from thirty-seven to over sixty since the last study, performed a decade and a half ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food supplies and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats growing for butterflies and crucial wild bee species.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the continuing damage or destruction of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the danger of local extinctions.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly types in the European continent are threatened by the climate emergency – about twice as many as a previous decade.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in European nations require pollination by animals, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the continent and the only species of this genus in European nations, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to global warming as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are threatened by severe dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, climate change is causing the timberline to move north by tens of metres each year, with underbrush encroaching on bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in the European continent because of all these elements,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to turn around the drop in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are engaged. We hope they can receive the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers developing bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this threat. Together with member countries, the European Commission has established an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize execution and collaboration with member states to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the first Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another essential pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were facing extinction.
