The number of native bee species in Europe experiencing disappearance has over doubled over the past decade, while the count of threatened butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least over 170 bee varieties out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The count of butterfly types threatened with extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to 65 since the previous assessment, conducted 14 years ago. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food systems and our financial structures – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterflies and vital native bee species.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing damage or destruction of living environments caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also demonstrated to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Up to ninety percent of plants that flower in European nations rely on pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, native bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, famous for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the mainland and the only species of this genus group in European nations, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are highly susceptible to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but ultimately run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean, species such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by extreme wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, climate change is leading to the tree line to advance northwards by many meters each year, with scrub taking over wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest environment for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these elements,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member countries have to turn around the decrease in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. It is hoped they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers creating flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to address this threat. In collaboration with participating nations, the EU Commission has implemented an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will aid in following our development. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and partnership with member states to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the initial EU-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in the European continent were facing extinction.
