The total of native bee species in European nations facing extinction has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the total of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating insects was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least 172 bee species out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The total of butterfly types at risk of extinction in the European continent has increased from 37 to sixty-five since the earlier research, carried out 14 years ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their beauty and cultural importance, pollinators like bees and butterfly species are essential supports for our well-being, our food systems and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with risks increasing for butterfly types and crucial native bee species.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing harm or degradation of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also revealed to be a significant danger: Over half of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are threatened by the climate emergency – approximately double the number as a decade ago.
Up to ninety percent of flowering plants in European nations depend on animal pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the European continent and the only species of this genus in Europe, is now assessed as critically endangered – the scientific category nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are only found on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but in the end exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the timberline to move north by many meters each year, with bushes invading marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the frozen water to graze Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast in the European continent because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to reverse the decrease in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. We hope they can obtain the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as farmers establishing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to address this danger. Along with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to focus on implementation and partnership with member states to protect our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further essential group of pollinators. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly species in European nations were facing extinction.
