The count of wild bee varieties in Europe facing extinction has increased twofold in the last ten years, whereas the total of threatened butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This pressing issue for vital pollinators was disclosed by scientific studies for the IUCN red list, which established that at least 172 bee varieties out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to sixty-five since the previous assessment, carried out over a decade past. One species, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural value, pollinators like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our health, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with dangers mounting for butterfly species and crucial wild bee types.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the persistent damage or destruction of habitats caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, draining of wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The fragmentation of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: 52% of all endangered butterfly species in the European continent are threatened by the climate emergency – about twofold the amount as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of blooming plants in the European continent require insect pollination, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, wild bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many native plants might be threatened too – of which bloom-filled grasslands and lovely orchid types are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebee types, which play a crucial role in pollinating legumes like 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 species found only in the continent and the only species of this genus in Europe, is now classified as severely threatened – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterflies that are only found on mountain peaks are particularly vulnerable to global heating as they have to climb upward as their habitats become more heated but eventually run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, varieties such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by severe dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is resulting in the timberline to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with scrub taking over wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including the fritillary of Freyja and the Arctic ringlet butterfly.
“The greatest environment for all these pollinating insects is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly in the European continent because of all these factors,” remarked Martin Warren. “The encouraging aspect is that so many individuals care now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to reverse the decrease in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are landowners who are interested. Let’s hope they can obtain the encouragements that will assist them on their way.”
According to Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinators which will not decrease crop yields – and could improve it – such as farmers creating flower-rich margins around their farmland.
Jessika Roswall, portrayed the conservation status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “critical”.
“Immediate and joint measures is necessary to address this threat. In collaboration with member states, the European Commission has put in place an Europe-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will assist in monitoring our advancement. Now, we need to prioritize application and partnership with participating nations to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The release of the bee and butterfly assessments comes after the pioneering Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, a further essential group of pollinators. Released in 2022, it showed that thirty-seven percent of all hoverfly species in Europe were threatened with extinction.
