The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is the only organisation in the UK committed to halting and reversing the decline of bumblebees, and has pioneered saving certain rare species, such as the Great Yellow Bumblebee in Scotland.
Bumblebee populations have greatly declined in the UK over the past 80 years, with two species becoming nationally extinct. They are an important component of biodiversity and also contribute significantly to human health and the economy by pollinating food-producing and other plants.
Our grant was towards the “Making a Buzz for the Coast” project. This aims to safeguard rare bee populations by creating and restoring habitats and linking isolated populations together through the creation of flower-rich ‘stepping stones’, along 165 miles of the Kent coast. This area is a nationally significant habitat, being home to five of six rarest and most threatened species of bumblebee. The Trust and its volunteers will work with landowners, ranging from farmers and fruit producers to holiday parks, golf courses, small holders and large estates to restore and create pollinator habitats.
This ambitious project is a mix of practical habitat conservation activity and engagement work, in line with our Environment category’s aim of integrating the needs of people, habitats and species.
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