The number of non-managed bee species in the European continent facing disappearance has increased twofold in the last ten years, while the total of at-risk butterfly has almost doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinating insects was unveiled by research studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least over 170 bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were threatened with extinction in Europe.
The number of butterfly types facing extinction in Europe has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the last study, carried out over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our well-being, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” commented the IUCN director general. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal major obstacles, with threats increasing for butterflies and crucial wild bee varieties.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the persistent destruction or damage of habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid chemicals. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the risk of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also shown to be a significant danger: 52% of all at-risk butterfly species in the European continent are imperilled by the climate change crisis – roughly twice as many as a ten years ago.
As many as ninety percent of flowering plants in European nations require pollination by animals, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee populations are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which perform a vital function in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee exclusive to the continent and the sole species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as critically at risk – the scientific classification most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain tops are highly susceptible to global heating as they must ascend higher as their living spaces become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by severe dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Far North, global heating is resulting in the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with bushes invading marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse Arctic grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are threatened with extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is vanishing rapidly throughout European nations because of all these factors,” said Martin Warren. “The good news is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the drop in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are engaged. We hope they can receive the motivations that will help them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinating insects which won’t reduce crop yields – and might boost it – such as farmers creating flower-rich margins around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, described the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to address this threat. Along with member states, the EU Commission has established an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will aid in following our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on application and cooperation with member countries to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the first Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further vital pollinating insect category. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were at risk of extinction.
