The total of wild bee species in European nations experiencing extinction has over doubled over the past decade, whereas the total of threatened butterfly types has close to doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinators was revealed by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least over 170 bee species out of over 1900 were facing extinction in European nations.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in European nations has grown from 37 to sixty-five since the previous assessment, performed over a decade past. One type, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
In addition to their beauty and cultural value, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our physical condition, our food chains and our economies – maintaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” stated Grethel Aguilar. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with risks increasing for butterfly types and essential native bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators substantially boosts the risk of local extinctions.
Global heating is also revealed to be a major threat: 52% of all threatened butterfly species in the European continent are threatened by the climate emergency – approximately twofold the amount as a decade ago.
Up to nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations depend on insect pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Sadly, native bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in fertilizing peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the European continent and the single type of this genus in Europe, is now classified as critically endangered – the research category most akin to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are solely present on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but in the end have no room left. 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) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are endangered by intense wildfires and drought.
At the same time, in the Far North, climate change is causing the forest boundary to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading wetlands and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean Arctic deer can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are at risk of extinction in this zone, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is declining quickly across Europe because of all these reasons,” stated one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to reverse the decrease in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are property owners who are involved. It is hoped they can obtain the encouragements that will help them on their way.”
As per Martin Warren, there is “readily achievable actions” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not decrease food production – and might boost it – such as growers establishing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this risk. Together with member states, the EU Commission has established an European Union-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 implementation and cooperation with participating nations to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the first EU-wide study on hoverflies, a further essential pollinator group. Published in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in Europe were at risk of extinction.
