The total of non-managed bee types in the European continent facing extinction has over doubled over the past decade, whereas the count of at-risk butterfly has close to doubled.
This pressing issue for crucial pollinators was unveiled by scientific studies for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of nearly two thousand were at risk of extinction in European nations.
The count of butterflies threatened with extinction in the European continent has grown from thirty-seven to over sixty since the earlier research, carried out 14 years ago. One type, the large white of Madeira (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural significance, pollinators like bees along with butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food systems and our economies – sustaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with threats mounting for butterflies and vital non-managed bee species.”
The factors of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the utilization of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of pollinator-friendly habitat significantly raises the threat of disappearances in specific areas.
Global heating is also revealed to be a primary risk: 52% of all at-risk butterfly species in Europe are threatened by the climate change crisis – about twice as many as a previous decade.
Nearly ninety percent of flowering plants in the European continent rely on animal pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Unfortunately, native bee colonies are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many native plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee species, which perform a vital function in pollinating legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 types of cellophane bees, recognized for aiding tree pollination such as willows along with red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the mainland and the single type of this biological genus in the European continent, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly types that are exclusively located on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to global warming as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but ultimately run out of space. In the southern part of Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, varieties such as the critically endangered Karpathos grayling butterfly are imperilled by extreme wildfires and drought.
Meanwhile, in the Arctic region, global warming is resulting in the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with bushes taking over marsh and tundra. Hotter climates also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest living space for all these pollinating insects is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast across the European continent because of all these reasons,” remarked one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The positive thing is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member states have to reverse the decline in pollinators by the year 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. We hope they can obtain the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of measures for pollinating species which will not decrease agricultural output – and could improve it – such as growers creating flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Immediate and joint measures is required to confront this danger. In collaboration with participating nations, the European Commission has implemented an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with member states to preserve our pollinating species,” she said.
The publication of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies comes after the pioneering Europe-wide study on hoverflies, another crucial pollinating insect category. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were threatened with extinction.
