The count of non-managed bee types in the European continent facing disappearance has increased twofold over the past decade, and the count of threatened butterfly has close to doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinating species was revealed by research studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least over 170 bee species out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies facing extinction in the European continent has risen from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the last study, conducted over a decade past. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our health, our food chains and our financial structures – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said the IUCN director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with dangers mounting for butterflies and crucial wild bee species.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent destruction or damage of habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the threat of local extinctions.
Climate change is also revealed to be a major threat: 52% of all at-risk butterflies in the European continent are threatened by the climate change crisis – roughly double the number as a previous decade.
As many as nine out of ten of plants that flower in Europe require pollination by animals, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many native plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which have an essential part in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bees, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the European continent and the single type of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global heating as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by intense wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is causing the tree line to advance northwards by many meters each year, with underbrush invading marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest environment for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The positive thing is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states 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 interested. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as growers developing flower-rich margins around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to tackle this risk. Along with participating nations, the European Commission has put in place an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will aid in following our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on application and collaboration with participating nations to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional crucial pollinator group. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were at risk of extinction.
