Nearly 25% of Europe’s bumblebee species are at risk of extinction due to intensive farming and climate change.
The conclusion results from a study of all 68 bumblebee species in Europe carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Bumblebees, along with other bee species, play a critical role in pollinating plants. They are three of the most important pollinators of European crops, the report says.
Significantly, other bee species are also declining rapidly in number.
The main threats to bumblebees are climate change, the intensification of farming and changes in the use of agricultural land, the IUCN said.
It also cited pollution from agricultural waste and loss of habitat due to urban development.
"Protecting bumblebee species and habitats, restoring degraded ecosystems and promoting biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices will be essential to reverse the negative trends in European bumblebee populations", said Ana Nieto, the IUCN's European biodiversity officer, who coordinated the study.
Europe’s largest bumblebee, Bombus fragrans, is being threatened by the intensification of agriculture in its native habitat in the steppes of Ukraine and Russia.
This also is the case with the second-largest bumblebee, Bombus hyperboreus, whose habitat in the Scandinavian tundra and the extreme north of Russia is in rapid decline.
