The total of wild bee species in European nations experiencing extinction has more than doubled over the past decade, and the number of threatened butterfly species has close to doubled.
This dire scenario for essential pollinators was disclosed by scientific assessments for the IUCN red list, which determined that at least one hundred seventy-two bee species out of nearly two thousand were facing extinction in the European continent.
The total of butterfly species facing extinction in European nations has risen from thirty-seven to 65 since the last study, performed 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
Apart from their beauty and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterflies are lifelines for our well-being, our food chains and our economies – supporting the fruits, vegetables and seeds that feed us,” commented Grethel Aguilar. “The most recent assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with threats increasing for butterfly species and essential non-managed bee types.”
The causes of the rapid recent declines are the continuing destruction or damage of natural habitats caused by farming intensification and abandoned land, wetland drainage, excessive grazing by animals, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The breaking up of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the risk of local extinctions.
Global heating is also shown to be a primary risk: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in the European continent are threatened by the climate change crisis – about double the number as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of plants that flower in European nations depend on insect pollination, according to the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Sadly, wild bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot readily be substituted by managed colonies,” he said. “If non-managed bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which meadows rich in flowers and beautiful orchid species are just a handful of illustrations.”
15 varieties 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 species, famous for pollinating trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the continent and the sole species of this biological genus in the European continent, is now classified as critically at risk – the scientific category closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterfly species that are only found on mountain peaks are especially at risk to climate change as they need to move uphill as their environments become more heated but ultimately have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the grayling of Nevada and the anomalous blue of Andalusia are among over forty percent of European endemics (solely present in Europe) threatened with extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, species such as the severely threatened grayling of Karpathos are threatened by extreme dry conditions and fires.
At the same time, in the Far North, global warming is causing the forest boundary to move north by tens of metres each year, with scrub taking over bog and tundra. Hotter climates also mean caribou can no more cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and maintain them clear. Eight types of butterflies are at risk of extinction in this region, including Freyja’s fritillary and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The greatest habitat for all these pollinating species is flower-rich grassland and that is disappearing very fast throughout Europe because of all these reasons,” stated 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 turn around the decline in pollinators by twenty-thirty, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are land holders who are involved. It is hoped they can get the motivations that will assist them on their way.”
As per the coordinator, there is “easy opportunities” in terms of measures for pollinators which will not lower agricultural output – and could improve it – such as farmers developing bloom-filled edges around their fields.
EU commissioner for environment, portrayed the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.
“Immediate and joint measures is needed to confront this threat. In collaboration with participating nations, the EU Commission has implemented an Europe-wide tracking system for pollinating species based on the EU nature restoration law, which will help to track our advancement. Now, we need to concentrate on execution and collaboration with member countries to preserve our pollinators,” she said.
The release of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies follows the initial EU-wide evaluation of hoverflies, an additional vital pollinating insect category. Issued in 2022, it showed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in European nations were facing extinction.
