Alarming Surge in At-Risk Native Bee Varieties Across Europe
The count of native bee species in European nations facing extinction has increased twofold during the previous ten-year period, whereas the count of threatened butterfly has nearly doubled.
This critical situation for crucial pollinating insects was disclosed by scientific assessments for the red list of threatened species, which established that at least 172 bee types out of over 1900 were at risk of extinction in Europe.
The total of butterfly species facing extinction in European nations has increased from over thirty-five to sixty-five since the earlier research, performed over a decade past. One species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been declared extinct.
“Beyond their visual charm and cultural value, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are lifelines for our health, our food systems and our economies – maintaining the produce, vegetables and seeds that nourish us,” said the IUCN director general. “The newest assessments of the European red list reveal major obstacles, with dangers growing for butterfly types and vital non-managed bee species.”
The reasons of the quick recent decreases are the continuing damage or destruction of habitats caused by farming intensification and deserted farmland, draining wetlands, livestock overgrazing, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The division of environments suitable for pollinators greatly increases the danger of extinctions at local level.
Climate change is also revealed to be a major threat: 52% of all at-risk butterfly species in the European continent are endangered by the climate crisis – roughly twice as many as a ten years ago.
Up to nine out of ten of flowering plants in European nations rely on pollination by animals, as stated by the lead coordinator of the wild bee assessment. “Unfortunately, non-managed bee groups are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If wild bees die out, many wild plants might be in danger as well – of which flower-rich meadows and lovely orchid types are just a few examples.”
Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in aiding the pollination of legumes like peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee types, known for aiding tree pollination such as willows and red maples, are now listed as threatened. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type found only in the mainland and the sole species of this genus group in the European continent, is now assessed as severely threatened – the scientific classification closest to extinction in the wild.
Butterflies that are exclusively located on mountain tops are particularly vulnerable to climate change as they have to climb upward as their environments become more heated but in the end have no room left. In the southern part of Spain, the grayling of Nevada and the Andalusian anomalous blue butterfly are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (solely present in Europe) at risk of extinction.
In the Mediterranean region, types such as the highly at-risk grayling of Karpathos are threatened by extreme wildfires and drought.
In the meantime, in the Far North, global warming is resulting in the timberline to shift northward by tens of metres each year, with underbrush encroaching on wetlands and tundra. Warmer conditions also mean caribou can no longer cross the ice sheets to feed on northern grasslands and keep them open. 8 butterfly varieties are at risk of extinction in this area, including the fritillary of Freyja and the ringlet of the Arctic.
“The biggest habitat for all these pollinators is flower-rich grassland and that is vanishing rapidly in Europe because of all these elements,” said a lead coordinator for the butterfly assessment. “The good news is that so many citizens care now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the European Union nature restoration law, all member countries 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 involved. Let’s hope they can obtain the motivations that will help them on their way.”
As stated by Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which will not decrease food production – and could improve it – such as agricultural producers creating margins rich in flowers around their farmland.
the EU’s environment commissioner, portrayed the conservation status of native bees, butterflies and additional pollinators as “critical”.
“Urgent and collective action is required to tackle this risk. In collaboration with member countries, the European Commission has implemented an European Union-wide tracking system for pollinators based on the European Union nature restoration legislation, which will help to track our development. Now, we need to focus on application and partnership with member countries to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.
The issuance of the evaluations of bees along with butterflies is subsequent to the pioneering EU-wide study on hoverflies, a further essential pollinating insect category. Published in 2022, it revealed that over one-third of all hoverfly varieties in the European continent were facing extinction.
