The count of non-managed bee types in European nations experiencing dying out has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, while the total of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinators was revealed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least 172 bee types out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types threatened with extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, performed over a decade past. One type, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with risks mounting for butterflies and essential non-managed bee types.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the continuing destruction or damage of habitats caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: 52% of all threatened butterfly species in European nations are threatened by the climate emergency – approximately double the number as a decade ago.
Up to 90% of flowering plants in Europe require animal pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, non-managed bee populations are in severe drop and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the mainland and the single type of this genus in European nations, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global warming as they must ascend higher as their environments become hotter but in the end run out of space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by severe wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, climate change is leading to the timberline to move north by dozens of meters each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to halt the decline in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. Let’s hope they can obtain the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower crop yields – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to address this risk. Along with member states, the EU Commission has put in place an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were at risk of extinction.
