The number of non-managed bee species in European nations facing dying out has increased twofold over the past decade, while the total of endangered butterfly species has almost doubled.
This dire scenario for crucial pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least over 170 bee types out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species at risk of extinction in European nations has grown from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the earlier research, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are essential supports for our health, our food chains and our economic systems – supporting the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The newest European red list evaluations reveal serious challenges, with risks mounting for butterfly species and essential non-managed bee varieties.”
The reasons of the rapid recent declines are the persistent destruction or damage of living environments caused by agricultural intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoid chemicals. The breaking up of pollinator-friendly habitat greatly increases the risk of extinctions at local level.
Global warming is also shown to be a significant danger: Fifty-two percent of all endangered butterfly species in Europe are endangered by the climate change crisis – approximately twice as many as a ten years ago.
Nearly 90% of flowering plants in Europe rely on animal pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, native bee populations are in severe drop and cannot readily be substituted by domesticated hives,” he said. “If non-managed bees vanish, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which bloom-filled grasslands and attractive orchid varieties are just a couple of instances.”
15 varieties of bumblebee species, which play a crucial role in fertilizing crops such as peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, known for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee species found only in the continent and the single type of this biological genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to dying out in natural habitats.
Butterfly species that are only found on mountain tops are especially at risk to global warming as they have to climb upward as their habitats become warmer but in the end run out of space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among above 40 percent of European endemics (only found in Europe) facing extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are imperilled by extreme drought and wildfires.
In the meantime, in the Arctic Circle, global heating is leading to the timberline to advance northwards by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. Eight types of butterflies are threatened with extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast in the European continent because of all these factors,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The encouraging aspect is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member states have to halt the drop in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to begin taking action. There are land holders who are interested. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will support them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinators which will not lower agricultural output – and might boost it – such as farmers developing bloom-filled edges around their cultivated areas.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the preservation condition of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “severe”.
“Urgent and collective action is needed to tackle this threat. In collaboration with participating nations, the Commission of the European Union has established an European Union-wide monitoring system for pollinating species based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our progress. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and cooperation with participating nations to protect our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the first Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another vital pollinating insect category. Issued in twenty-twenty-two, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were facing extinction.
