The count of wild bee varieties in the European continent facing extinction has more than doubled during the previous ten-year period, whereas the number of at-risk butterfly species has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for vital pollinating species was unveiled by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least 172 bee types out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The count of butterfly species facing extinction in Europe has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the last study, carried out a decade and a half ago. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been confirmed extinct.
Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our well-being, our food systems and our economies – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with threats growing for butterfly species and crucial non-managed bee types.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the ongoing destruction or damage of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and land abandonment, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the use of pesticides and fertilisers including neonicotinoid pesticides. The division of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Climate change is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Over half of all threatened butterflies in European nations are endangered by the climate crisis – roughly double the number as a decade ago.
As many as nine out of ten of flowering plants in the European continent rely on pollination by animals, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, non-managed bee colonies are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees die out, many wild plants might be at risk too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen species of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bee types, famous for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type unique to the continent and the single type of this biological genus in Europe, is now evaluated as severely threatened – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are solely present on mountain tops are especially at risk to global warming as they have to climb upward as their environments become hotter but in the end exhaust available space. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among above 40 percent of types unique to Europe (solely present in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean area, species such as the highly at-risk Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by intense dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by many meters each year, with scrub invading marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the ice sheets to feed on Arctic grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are facing extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary butterfly and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinators is grassland rich in flowers and that is vanishing rapidly throughout Europe because of all these elements,” remarked a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many people are concerned now and there’s a lot more awareness. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to halt the decline in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to initiate measures. There are land holders who are interested. 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 pollinating insects which will not lower food production – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating bloom-filled edges around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, characterized the protection status of non-managed bees, butterfly species and other pollinating insects as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to confront this threat. Together with member countries, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide observation system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to focus on implementation and cooperation with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the assessments on bees and butterflies is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial group of pollinators. Issued in 2022, it disclosed that 37% of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
