A new project has been launched to help the Moss carder bumblebee, described as one of the UK's "most threatened" species. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is leading the three-year scheme, valued at £907,000, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge.
The initiative will concentrate on landscapes in Cornwall, Kent, and the North Pennines. This includes coastal grasslands, dunes, and heathland in Cornwall, grazing marshes and sea walls in Kent, and the upland fringe landscape of the North Pennines.
During the project, the trust plans to work with landowners to test "small-scale habitat interventions" to identify effective methods. The aim is also to gain a better understanding of the species' behaviour and needs. The Moss carder bumblebee is distinctive for its velvety covering of ginger-yellow hairs and typically forages closer to its nest than most other bumblebees, making it more vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation.
Natural England's Species Recovery Programme has provided more than £530,000 in funding. Tylan Berry, a senior officer at Natural England, stated that the programme helps "take practical action to halt species decline and support nature recovery across England."