The number of native bee species in Europe experiencing dying out has more than doubled over the past decade, whereas the total of endangered butterfly types has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinating species was disclosed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies threatened with extinction in Europe has risen from thirty-seven to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with risks mounting for butterfly types and crucial non-managed bee species.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the persistent damage or destruction of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly species in European nations are threatened by the climate change crisis – about double the number as a ten years ago.
Up to 90% of blooming plants in European nations require animal pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Sadly, non-managed bee groups are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which have an essential part in pollinating crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the European continent and the only species of this genus group in the European continent, is now classified as critically endangered – the scientific category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global warming as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by extreme dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global warming is causing the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these elements,” stated Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to reverse the decrease in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating species which won’t reduce agricultural output – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers developing bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this danger. Along with member states, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to focus on execution and partnership with participating nations to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another essential group of pollinators. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in European nations were threatened with extinction.
