The count of non-managed bee varieties in the European continent facing disappearance has increased twofold in the last ten years, while the number of endangered butterfly types has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinators was revealed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least over 170 bee types out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies facing extinction in the European continent has grown from over thirty-five to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed a decade and a half ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our well-being, our food supplies and our economies – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” commented the IUCN’s director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with risks increasing for butterfly types and essential wild bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the continuing damage or destruction of living environments caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of local extinctions.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all threatened butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate emergency – about double the number as a ten years ago.
Up to ninety percent of blooming plants in European nations depend on insect pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, native bee populations are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the mainland and the only species of this genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically at risk – the research category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global heating as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but eventually exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by severe wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, climate change is causing the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with bushes encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to halt the drop in pollinating insects by the year 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can receive the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not lower food production – and might boost it – such as growers developing margins rich in flowers around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to tackle this threat. Together with member states, the European Commission has implemented an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize application and cooperation with participating nations to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the initial Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional vital group of pollinators. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly types in European nations were at risk of extinction.
