The number of native bee types in the European continent experiencing dying out has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the total of at-risk butterfly has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which found that at least 172 bee types out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has risen from 37 to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our health, our food systems and our financial structures – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with threats growing for butterflies and crucial native bee types.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, draining wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the threat of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all at-risk butterfly types in Europe are endangered by the climate crisis – approximately twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Up to 90% of flowering plants in Europe rely on insect pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, non-managed bee groups are in drastic decline and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, recognized for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the European continent and the sole species of this genus group in the European continent, is now classified as critically endangered – the scientific classification nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they need to move uphill as their environments become hotter but in the end exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by intense drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, global warming is resulting in the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can no longer cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic meadows and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is vanishing rapidly across the European continent because of all these factors,” stated Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all participating nations have to reverse the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are interested. Let’s hope they can get the incentives that will support them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which won’t reduce agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers creating flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Prompt and unified steps is needed to address this danger. In collaboration with member states, the Commission of the European Union has established an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and partnership with participating nations to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the first EU-wide study on hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were facing extinction.
