The total of native bee species in the European continent confronting dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the number of endangered butterfly has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating species was unveiled by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which found that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly species facing extinction in European nations has grown from 37 to sixty-five since the last study, carried out 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food chains and our economies – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with dangers growing for butterflies and crucial wild bee varieties.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the persistent damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the risk of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also revealed to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterfly species in European nations are imperilled by the climate emergency – about double the number as a decade ago.
Nearly nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations rely on pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Regrettably, non-managed bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many native plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, known for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species unique to the mainland and the only species of this genus group in the European continent, is now classified as severely threatened – the research category nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to climate change as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become more heated but eventually exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global heating is resulting in the forest boundary to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with bushes encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast in the European continent because of all these reasons,” said Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to halt the decrease in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are engaged. We hope they can receive the incentives that will support them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating species which won’t reduce food production – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers developing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, characterized the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to confront this danger. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to focus on application and collaboration with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments follows the pioneering European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further crucial pollinating insect category. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly species in Europe were at risk of extinction.
