The total of native bee species in Europe experiencing dying out has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, while the number of threatened butterfly species has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating species was disclosed by research studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least 172 bee species out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The total of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has increased from 37 to over sixty since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our physical condition, our food systems and our economies – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with threats increasing for butterfly types and vital native bee species.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations rely on insect pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species exclusive to the continent and the single type of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but ultimately run out of space. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by intense wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global heating is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice to browse Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout the European continent because of all these reasons,” remarked Martin Warren. “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 reverse the decline in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. We hope they can receive the incentives that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating species which won’t reduce food production – and may enhance it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the protection status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is necessary to address this danger. Together with member states, the EU Commission has established an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize execution and cooperation with member countries to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the first European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional crucial group of pollinators. Released in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
