The total of wild bee types in the European continent experiencing dying out has more than doubled over the past decade, whereas the number of threatened butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This dire scenario for vital pollinators was unveiled by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least over 170 bee varieties out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The count of butterfly species at risk of extinction in European nations has risen from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food chains and our financial structures – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with threats increasing for butterfly species and crucial wild bee species.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing damage or destruction of habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators significantly raises the danger of local extinctions.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a major threat: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are threatened by the climate emergency – roughly twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to 90% of flowering plants in the European continent require insect pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Sadly, wild bee colonies are in drastic decline and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, 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 bumblebees, which have an essential part in aiding the pollination of crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bees, known for fertilizing trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the continent and the only species of this genus group in Europe, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific classification nearest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on mountain peaks are especially at risk to global heating as they must ascend higher as their environments become more heated but ultimately exhaust available space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by extreme drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global warming is resulting in the timberline to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with bushes taking over wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no more cross the ice sheets to browse Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinating species is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast across the European continent because of all these factors,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals are aware now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to reverse the drop in pollinating species by the year 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are landowners who are engaged. We hope they can get the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As stated by Martin Warren, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of steps for pollinating insects which will not lower agricultural output – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers establishing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to tackle this danger. In collaboration with member states, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to concentrate on application and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide study on hoverflies, another vital group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in Europe were facing extinction.
