The total of native bee species in the European continent confronting dying out has more than doubled over the past decade, and the total of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinators was revealed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in European nations.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in the European continent has increased from 37 to 65 since the earlier research, performed over a decade past. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food chains and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats mounting for butterfly types and vital native bee types.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a ten years ago.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in European nations depend on animal pollination, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, native bee populations are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the mainland and the sole species of this genus in the European continent, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become more heated but in the end run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, types such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by intense drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Far North, climate change is resulting in the forest boundary to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly throughout European nations because of all these reasons,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to turn around the decrease in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are interested. It is hoped they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease food production – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to tackle this danger. Together with member states, the Commission of the European Union has implemented an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize execution and collaboration with member states to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the initial Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential pollinator group. Published in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly types in Europe were threatened with extinction.
