2023-09-13 17:23:36
The Alpine bumblebee could well be close to extinction between 2060 and 2080. Jan Ove Gjershaug/Artsdatabanken, NINA /CC License
The pollinating insect, on which many plants depend, is threatened by climate change and the transformation of landscapes.
Without a rapid climate transition, bumblebees could be wiped from most of Europe in sixty years. According to a study published this Wednesday in the reference journal Nature most of the 70 species of Bombus which forage on the continent today are in fact threatened by rising temperatures and the transformation of landscapes. The hairy insect with its gentle buzz is already increasingly rare: a quarter of European bumblebees are included on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The collections of specimens kept in natural history museums bear witness to the disappearance of many species over the past hundred years. The north of France is particularly affected.
Also read: Bumblebees capable of learning
« The study, carried out using consistent data by leading bumblebee specialists, is a clear demonstration of what awaits us if we do not act. », comments Daniel Cherix, specialist in hymenoptera and professor…
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