permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

Bumblebees' decline points to mass extinction – study | Environment | The
Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/06/bumblebees-decline-points-to-mass-extinction-study

Bumblebees are in drastic decline across Europe and North America owing to
hotter and more frequent extremes in temperatures, scientists say.

A study suggests the likelihood of a bumblebee population surviving in any
given place has declined by 30% in the course of a single human generation.
The researchers say the rates of decline appear to be “consistent with a
mass extinction”.

Peter Soroye, a PhD student at the University of Ottawa and the study’s
lead author, said: “We found that populations were disappearing in areas
where the temperatures had gotten hotter. If declines continue at this
pace, many of these species could vanish forever within a few decades.”

The team used data collected over a 115-year period on 66 bumblebee species
across North America and Europe to develop a model simulating “climate
chaos” scenarios. They were able to see how bumblebee populations had
changed over the years by comparing where the insects were now to where
they used to be.