The number of native bee species in the European continent facing disappearance has more than doubled in the last ten years, while the total of at-risk butterfly has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly species at risk of extinction in the European continent has risen from over thirty-five to 65 since the earlier research, performed 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food supplies and our economies – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with risks mounting for butterfly types and vital native bee species.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of living environments caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the danger of local extinctions.
Climate change is also shown to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are threatened by the climate emergency – about twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of flowering plants in Europe require pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, wild bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the mainland and the single type of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the research category nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global warming as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but in the end have no room left. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the timberline to move north by many meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to feed on Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these elements,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to reverse the decrease in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are interested. It is hoped they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease food production – and may enhance it – such as farmers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this danger. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and collaboration with member countries to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the initial European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional vital group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in Europe were facing extinction.
