The total of wild bee varieties in the European continent experiencing extinction has over doubled over the past decade, and the number of endangered butterfly species has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least 172 bee species out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types facing extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to 65 since the last study, performed over a decade past. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterfly species and crucial native bee varieties.”
The reasons of the swift recent drops are the ongoing destruction or damage of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly species in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a previous decade.
Up to 90% of flowering plants in European nations require insect pollination, as per the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Sadly, non-managed bee colonies are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, famous for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the mainland and the single type of this genus group in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the scientific classification nearest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their habitats become more heated but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling are endangered by intense dry conditions and fires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with underbrush encroaching on marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to graze Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout European nations because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinating insects by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are involved. Let’s hope they can get the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as agricultural producers developing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to confront this danger. Along with participating nations, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with member states to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were facing extinction.
