The count of wild bee varieties in Europe confronting extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, and the count of threatened butterfly species has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which determined that at least 172 bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The number of butterfly species threatened with extinction in the European continent has grown from 37 to over sixty since the previous assessment, carried out a decade and a half ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their aesthetic appeal and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our economies – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that sustain us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterflies and crucial non-managed bee varieties.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the continuing damage or destruction of living environments caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also revealed to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are endangered by the climate crisis – about twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of plants that flower in Europe depend on pollination by animals, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the mainland and the single type of this genus group in Europe, is now classified as critically endangered – the scientific classification closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become warmer but ultimately have no room left. In southern Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by extreme drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic region, climate change is causing the timberline to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no longer cross the ice to browse Arctic meadows and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is declining quickly in Europe because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to halt the decrease in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are interested. It is hoped they can get the motivations that will support them on their way.”
As per Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of action for pollinators which won’t reduce food production – and could improve it – such as growers establishing margins rich in flowers around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to address this risk. Along with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and partnership with member states to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the initial European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further crucial group of pollinators. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in Europe were facing extinction.
