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Project Launched to Save Rare Bumblebee Species
Confirmed
In Short: The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, has launched a £907,000 three-year project aimed at recovering the Moss carder bumblebee, one of the UK's most threatened species.
According to the trust, the Moss carder bumblebee is found in small, fragmented populations, making it particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation.
The project will involve working with landowners to trial small-scale habitat interventions, with the goal of identifying effective measures and gaining a better understanding of the species' needs.
Tylan Berry, Natural England's species and nature recovery networks senior officer, highlighted the importance of the project, stating that it is helping to take practical action to halt species decline and support nature recovery across England.
University of Cambridge researchers have also discovered that bumblebees carry roughly three times the concentrations of heavy metals compared to honeybees, indicating that pollution exposure can vary substantially between bee species.
This finding suggests that honeybees, which have been used to assess contamination in highly polluted areas, may not reliably represent the exposure of other bee species.
The project aims to address these challenges and provide a clearer picture of the environmental pressures faced by bumblebees, particularly the Moss carder.
What's confirmed
- According to the trust, the Moss carder bumblebee is found in small, fragmented populations, making it particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation.
- The project will involve working with landowners to trial small-scale habitat interventions, with the goal of identifying effective measures and gaining a better understanding of the species' needs.
- Tylan Berry, Natural England's species and nature recovery networks senior officer, highlighted the importance of the project, stating that it is helping to take practical action to halt species decline and support nature recovery across England.
- University of Cambridge researchers have also discovered that bumblebees carry roughly three times the concentrations of heavy metals compared to honeybees, indicating that pollution exposure can vary substantially between bee species.
- This finding suggests that honeybees, which have been used to assess contamination in highly polluted areas, may not reliably represent the exposure of other bee species.
- The project aims to address these challenges and provide a clearer picture of the environmental pressures faced by bumblebees, particularly the Moss carder.
What's still developing
- The project will focus on Cornwall, Kent and the North Pennines A project is under way to try and help one of the UK's "most threatened" species of bumblebee.
- Bumblebees living beside honeybee colonies in Cambridgeshire brought back pollen with far higher levels of toxic metals.
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