Concerning Rise in Threatened Wild Bee Varieties In European Nations

The total of native bee varieties in European nations experiencing extinction has over doubled during the previous ten-year period, while the total of threatened butterfly has close to doubled.

This pressing issue for vital pollinating species was unveiled by scientific studies for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which established that at least 172 bee types out of 1,928 were threatened with extinction in European nations.

The total of butterfly species threatened with extinction in Europe has risen from thirty-seven to sixty-five since the previous assessment, conducted 14 years ago. A single species, the Madeiran large white butterfly (Pieris wollastoni) has now been classified as extinct.

Apart from their aesthetic appeal and cultural importance, pollinating species like bees and butterfly species are crucial elements for our well-being, our food systems and our economic systems – maintaining the fruits, veggies and seeds that feed us,” stated the IUCN’s director general. “The latest European red list evaluations reveal significant difficulties, with threats growing for butterfly types and crucial native bee types.”

The factors of the quick recent decreases are the ongoing harm or degradation of habitats caused by intensive agriculture and deserted farmland, wetland drainage, livestock overgrazing, and the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides including neonicotinoids. The fragmentation of habitat friendly to pollinators greatly increases the danger of local extinctions.

Climate change is also demonstrated to be a significant danger: Over half of all endangered butterfly types in Europe are imperilled by the climate change crisis – approximately double the number as a previous decade.

Nearly 90% of plants that flower in the European continent depend on insect pollination, as stated by the wild bee assessment’s lead coordinator. “Regrettably, native bee populations are in sharp decrease and cannot be easily replaced by managed colonies,” he said. “If native bees disappear, many non-cultivated plants might be threatened too – of which flower-rich meadows and beautiful orchid species are just a few examples.”

Fifteen types of bumblebee types, which perform a vital function in pollinating peas, beans, peanuts and clover, and 14 species of cellophane bee species, recognized for fertilizing trees such as willows and red maples, are now categorized as at-risk. Simpanurgus phyllopodus, a mining bee type exclusive to the European continent and the single type of this genus in the European continent, is now assessed as critically endangered – the research category closest to disappearance in the wild.

Butterflies that are exclusively located on high-altitude areas are especially at risk to global heating as they must ascend higher as their habitats become hotter but eventually have no room left. In Spain’s southern region, the Nevada grayling butterfly and the Andalusian anomalous blue are among over forty percent of species endemic to Europe (only found in Europe) facing extinction.

In the Mediterranean, species such as the critically endangered grayling of Karpathos are threatened by intense wildfires and drought.

In the meantime, in the Arctic region, climate change is resulting in the forest boundary to advance northwards by tens of metres each year, with scrub invading bog and tundra. Higher temperatures also mean reindeer can not anymore cross the frozen water to browse northern grasslands and prevent them from overgrowing. 8 butterfly varieties are facing extinction in this zone, including Freyja’s fritillary and the Arctic ringlet.

“The biggest environment for all these pollinators is bloom-filled grassy areas and that is disappearing very fast across European nations because of all these factors,” said one of the lead coordinators of the butterflies assessment. “The good news is that so many individuals are concerned now and there’s a lot more understanding. Under the EU’s nature restoration regulation, all member countries have to turn around the drop in pollinating species by 2030, and they are going to have to start doing something. There are property owners who are engaged. We hope they can receive the encouragements that will help them on their way.”

As stated by Martin Warren, there is “low-hanging fruit” in terms of action for pollinating insects which won’t reduce agricultural output – and may enhance it – such as farmers establishing flower-rich margins around their fields.

EU commissioner for environment, characterized the protection status of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators as “dire”.

“Immediate and joint measures is required to address this risk. Together with member states, the Commission of the European Union has put in place an EU-wide tracking system for pollinating insects based on the EU nature restoration regulation, which will assist in monitoring our development. Now, we need to prioritize application and collaboration with member states to safeguard our pollinating species,” she said.

The publication of the assessments on bees and butterflies follows the pioneering European-wide assessment of hoverflies, a further crucial pollinator group. Published in 2022, it showed that 37% of all hoverfly species in the European continent were facing extinction.