The count of non-managed bee species in the European continent experiencing extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the count of endangered butterfly has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for essential pollinating insects was unveiled by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which found that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in European nations.
The number of butterfly species threatened with extinction in the European continent has grown from over thirty-five to over sixty since the last study, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food chains and our financial structures – supporting the fruits, veggies and seeds that nourish us,” said Grethel Aguilar. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with risks increasing for butterfly species and vital wild bee types.”
The factors of the swift recent drops are the persistent harm or degradation of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators substantially boosts the risk of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Fifty-two percent of all at-risk butterfly species in European nations are imperilled by the climate emergency – about twice as many as a decade ago.
As many as nine out of ten of plants that flower in the European continent rely on insect pollination, as per Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee populations are in drastic decline and are not easily replaceable by managed bee colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be at risk too – of which meadows rich in flowers and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which have an essential part in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee species, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willow trees and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee found only in the European continent and the sole species of this genus group in European nations, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain tops are highly susceptible to global heating as they must ascend higher as their environments become warmer but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of types unique to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the severely threatened Karpathos grayling butterfly are threatened by intense wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is causing the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with bushes encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can no longer cross the frozen water to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this area, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these factors,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all participating nations have to turn around the drop in pollinating insects by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are engaged. We hope they can get the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinators which will not decrease crop yields – and may enhance it – such as growers establishing margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, described the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is necessary to address this threat. In collaboration with member states, the European Commission has put in place an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on application and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating insects,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, an additional crucial group of pollinators. Published in 2022, it revealed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were at risk of extinction.
