One Quarter +/- Of European Bumblebees, Critical To Pollination, Face Extinction - Reuters

(Reuters) - Almost a quarter of Europe's bumblebees are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitats and climate change, threatening pollination of crops worth billions of dollars, a study showed on Wednesday.

Sixteen of 68 bumblebee species in Europe are at risk, the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said. It is preparing a global study of the bees, whose honeybee cousins are in steep decline because of disease.

"Of the five most important insect pollinators of European crops, three are bumblebee species," said the IUCN, which groups governments, scientists and conservation groups.

"Together with other pollinators, bumblebees contribute more than 22 billion euros ($30.35 billion) to European agriculture a year," it said in a statement. Of Europe's bumblebee species, populations of almost half are falling and just 13 percent are increasing, it said.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/02/us-bumblebees-idUSBREA310UX20140402