The number of native bee species in European nations facing disappearance has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, and the total of threatened butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating insects was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least over 170 bee types out of 1,928 were facing extinction in European nations.
The number of butterflies threatened with extinction in Europe has increased from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. A single species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that sustain us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with risks mounting for butterfly species and essential native bee species.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the continuing damage or destruction of living environments caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the threat of local extinctions.
Climate change is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all threatened butterfly species in Europe are imperilled by the climate crisis – roughly twofold the amount as a decade ago.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in European nations require pollination by animals, as stated by Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee groups are in severe drop and cannot be easily replaced by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a couple of instances.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the European continent and the sole species of this genus in Europe, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific category most akin to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly types that are only found on mountain peaks are especially at risk to climate change as they must ascend higher as their environments become hotter but ultimately have no room left. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among more than 40% of European endemics (only found in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling are threatened by severe drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic region, global heating is resulting in the timberline to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with bushes encroaching on bog and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean Arctic deer can no longer cross the ice sheets to feed on Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinating species is grassland rich in flowers and that is disappearing very fast in Europe because of all these reasons,” said 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 awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries have to turn around the decline in pollinating insects by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are interested. It is hoped they can obtain the motivations that will help them on their way.”
According to Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not decrease crop yields – and may enhance it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their farmland.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the preservation condition of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to confront this danger. Together with member countries, the European Commission has established an EU-wide observation system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our progress. Now, we need to prioritize implementation and partnership with member states to preserve our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it revealed that 37% of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
