The count of native bee varieties in Europe confronting disappearance has over doubled over the past decade, and the number of threatened butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinating species was unveiled by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The total of butterflies at risk of extinction in Europe has risen from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal significant difficulties, with risks growing for butterflies and vital native bee varieties.”
The causes of the swift recent drops are the continuing damage or destruction of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the threat of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also revealed to be a major threat: 52% of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are endangered by the climate emergency – approximately twofold the amount as a previous decade.
Nearly ninety percent of flowering plants in Europe rely on pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee colonies are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees die out, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the continent and the sole species of this genus in Europe, is now assessed as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are solely present on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they must ascend higher as their environments become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are endangered by extreme wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, climate change is resulting in the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice sheets to graze northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly across European nations because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all participating nations have to turn around the decline in pollinating insects by the year 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating species which won’t reduce crop yields – and may enhance it – such as farmers developing margins rich in flowers around their cultivated areas.
Jessika Roswall, described the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to address this danger. Along with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and collaboration with member states to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The issuance of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the pioneering European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Published in 2022, it disclosed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
