The number of native bee species in European nations facing extinction has over doubled in the last ten years, while the total of threatened butterfly has close to doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating insects was revealed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least over 170 bee varieties out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species at risk of extinction in the European continent has grown from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, conducted over a decade past. One type, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural importance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The newest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with threats mounting for butterfly species and vital non-managed bee types.”
The causes of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also shown to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterflies in the European continent are endangered by the climate emergency – about twice as many as a ten years ago.
As many as ninety percent of blooming plants in the European continent rely on pollination by animals, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many wild plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and attractive orchid varieties are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, recognized for pollinating trees such as willow trees and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the European continent and the single type of this biological genus in European nations, is now classified as critically endangered – the scientific classification closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are only found on high-altitude areas are highly susceptible to global warming as they have to climb upward as their habitats become hotter but eventually exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, species such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are endangered by severe drought and wildfires.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global warming is leading to the timberline to shift northward by many meters each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can not anymore cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The largest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in Europe because of all these elements,” said 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 consciousness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are property owners who are interested. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which won’t reduce food production – and might boost it – such as growers creating margins rich in flowers around their fields.
the EU’s environment commissioner, described the preservation condition of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to confront this threat. Along with member states, the European Commission has put in place an Europe-wide monitoring system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to focus on application and partnership with member countries to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were at risk of extinction.
