The number of wild bee species in European nations facing disappearance has more than doubled in the last ten years, whereas the count of threatened butterfly types has almost doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly species facing extinction in European nations has risen from thirty-seven to over sixty since the previous assessment, carried out 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our financial structures – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with risks mounting for butterfly species and essential wild bee species.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the continuing destruction or damage of habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the danger of local extinctions.
Global heating is also revealed to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – roughly twice as many as a previous decade.
As many as nine out of ten of blooming plants in European nations rely on animal pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” 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 types of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the mainland and the sole species of this genus group in Europe, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the timberline to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice to graze Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast throughout the European continent because of all these reasons,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the decrease in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinators which won’t reduce crop yields – and could improve it – such as farmers developing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to address this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the EU Commission has implemented an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to prioritize execution and cooperation with member countries to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the initial Europe-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in Europe were facing extinction.
