The total of wild bee varieties in Europe facing disappearance has more than doubled over the past decade, while the count of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinators was revealed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least 172 bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in European nations.
The total of butterfly types at risk of extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to 65 since the previous assessment, conducted a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our well-being, our food systems and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with threats increasing for butterfly species and essential wild bee species.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the persistent damage or destruction of living environments caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately double the number as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of plants that flower in the European continent depend on animal pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the continent and the single type of this genus in European nations, is now assessed as critically at risk – the scientific classification nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain tops are especially at risk to global heating as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but in the end have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by severe wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is leading to the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with underbrush encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly throughout European nations because of all these elements,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to halt the decrease in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are interested. Let’s hope they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as growers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, described the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to tackle this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize execution and partnership with participating nations to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the initial EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional crucial pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were threatened with extinction.
