The number of non-managed bee varieties in Europe confronting extinction has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the count of at-risk butterfly has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinating insects was disclosed by research studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least over 170 bee varieties out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly types at risk of extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out a decade and a half ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food systems and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterfly types and vital native bee varieties.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterfly species in European nations are endangered by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Up to ninety percent of blooming plants in Europe rely on insect pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee groups are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the continent and the sole species of this genus group in the European continent, is now classified as critically endangered – the scientific classification nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are only found on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to climate change as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but ultimately run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are imperilled by severe dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Far North, global heating is causing the tree line to shift northward by many meters each year, with bushes invading bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no more cross the ice to graze Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these factors,” stated Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to turn around the decrease in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are landowners who are engaged. It is hoped they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease crop yields – and might boost it – such as farmers creating flower-rich margins around their fields.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this danger. In collaboration with member states, the EU Commission has put in place an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the first EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further essential pollinator group. Published in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
