The number of wild bee types in Europe experiencing disappearance has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, and the total of at-risk butterfly species has close to doubled.
This critical situation for essential pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least over 170 bee species out of 1,928 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The number of butterflies facing extinction in Europe has risen from 37 to over sixty since the previous assessment, performed 14 years ago. One species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.
In addition to their visual charm and cultural significance, pollinating insects like bees and butterflies are crucial elements for our physical condition, our food supplies and our economies – sustaining the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN director general. “The latest assessments of the European red list reveal serious challenges, with dangers growing for butterfly species and crucial wild bee varieties.”
The factors of the quick recent decreases are the persistent destruction or damage of living environments caused by farming intensification and land abandonment, wetland drainage, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of habitat friendly to pollinators significantly raises the risk of disappearances in specific areas.
Global warming is also demonstrated to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly species in European nations are endangered by the climate emergency – approximately twice as many as a previous decade.
As many as 90% of flowering plants in the European continent depend on animal pollination, according to Dr Denis Michez. “Regrettably, wild bee groups are in sharp decrease and are not easily replaceable by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees vanish, many native plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”
15 varieties of bumblebees, which play a crucial role in aiding the pollination of peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and fourteen varieties of cellophane bee types, known for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now classified as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the mainland and the single type of this genus in European nations, is now classified as severely threatened – the research category closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global heating as they have to climb upward as their living spaces become hotter but ultimately exhaust available space. In southern Spain, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among more than 40% of species endemic to Europe (exclusive to Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean, types such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are endangered by extreme drought and wildfires.
At the same time, in the Arctic Circle, climate change is leading to the forest boundary to shift northward by dozens of meters each year, with scrub encroaching on marsh and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean caribou can no more cross the ice to feed on Arctic grasslands and keep them open. Eight butterfly species are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest living space for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is declining quickly throughout Europe because of all these reasons,” said Martin Warren. “The positive thing is that so many people are aware now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU nature restoration legislation, all member states have to turn around the decline in pollinators by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are involved. We hope they can obtain the incentives that will help them on their way.”
According to the coordinator, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of steps for pollinating species which will not decrease food production – and might boost it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their cultivated areas.
EU commissioner for environment, characterized the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Prompt and unified steps is required to confront this threat. Together with member countries, the European Commission has put in place an EU-wide observation system for pollinators based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to concentrate on implementation and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinators,” she said.
The publication of the bee and butterfly assessments is subsequent to the initial Europe-wide evaluation of hoverflies, another crucial pollinator group. Released in 2022, it disclosed that over one-third of all hoverfly types in the European continent were at risk of extinction.
