The total of non-managed bee varieties in Europe facing disappearance has increased twofold over the past decade, and the total of threatened butterfly has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinating insects was revealed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has increased from thirty-seven to over sixty since the last study, performed 14 years ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food systems and our financial structures – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterfly types and crucial native bee varieties.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the continuing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and abandoned land, draining wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: 52% of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are imperilled by the climate crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a decade ago.
As many as ninety percent of plants that flower in European nations rely on insect pollination, according to the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which have an essential part in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee species, famous for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee unique to the continent and the sole species of this genus in the European continent, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific category most akin to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are solely present on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they must ascend higher as their environments become hotter but eventually have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by severe drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, climate change is leading to the timberline to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can not anymore cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast across European nations because of all these reasons,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to turn around the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are engaged. Let’s hope they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of steps for pollinators which won’t reduce crop yields – and could improve it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the conservation status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to address this threat. In collaboration with member countries, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to prioritize execution and cooperation with member countries to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the initial European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly types in European nations were facing extinction.
