The total of wild bee varieties in European nations confronting disappearance has more than doubled over the past decade, while the number of at-risk butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating insects was revealed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least one hundred seventy-two bee varieties out of 1,928 were facing extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly types threatened with extinction in European nations has grown from over thirty-five to over sixty since the earlier research, performed a decade and a half ago. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
“Beyond their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our physical condition, our food systems and our economies – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list assessments reveal significant difficulties, with dangers growing for butterflies and essential native bee species.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, excessive grazing by animals, and the application of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the risk of local extinctions.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate crisis – about twice as many as a ten years ago.
As many as nine out of ten of flowering plants in Europe rely on insect pollination, as per the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, wild bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many non-cultivated plants might be in danger as well – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a few examples.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee types, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, recognized for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the continent and the sole species of this genus in Europe, is now evaluated as critically endangered – the research category nearest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global heating as they need to move uphill as their living spaces become more heated but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of European endemics (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling are endangered by extreme dry conditions and fires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is causing the forest boundary to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with bushes invading marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the frozen water to feed on northern grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are threatened with extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The largest habitat for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in European nations because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens are concerned now and there’s a lot more consciousness. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to reverse the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are involved. It is hoped they can obtain the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of action for pollinators which will not decrease crop yields – and may enhance it – such as farmers establishing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, described the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to address this danger. In collaboration with member countries, the EU Commission has established an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and collaboration with member states to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies comes after the initial European-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were facing extinction.
