The number of native bee types in Europe confronting dying out has over doubled in the last ten years, and the total of threatened butterfly types has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least 172 bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly types threatened with extinction in Europe has increased from thirty-seven to 65 since the previous assessment, carried out a decade and a half ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating species like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food chains and our financial structures – sustaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with dangers increasing for butterfly species and vital wild bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, draining of wetlands, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of pollinator-friendly habitat substantially boosts the risk of local extinctions.
Global warming is also shown to be a major threat: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly species in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – roughly twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Up to ninety percent of plants that flower in the European continent rely on animal pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, native bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many native plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, famous for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the mainland and the only species of this biological genus in European nations, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they need to move uphill as their habitats become hotter but in the end have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are endangered by extreme dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global heating is resulting in the forest boundary to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub taking over marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the frozen water to graze Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly across European nations because of all these factors,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are aware now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to halt the decrease in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are engaged. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will help them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this risk. Along with member countries, the European Commission has implemented an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to focus on implementation and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the first Europe-wide assessment of hoverflies, another vital pollinating insect category. Released in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
