Hawaiian bees are first on US endangered species list
Source: BBC
Hawaiian bees are first on US endangered species list
1 October 2016 US & Canada
Seven species of yellow-faced bee native to Hawaii have become the first bees to be added to the US federal list of endangered and threatened species.
Conservationists say the bees face extinction through habitat loss, wildfires and the introduction of non-native insects and plants.
The bees are crucial to pollinating some of Hawaii's endangered plants.
The listing follows years of study by researchers including the Xerces Society conservation group.
Sarina Jepson, director of endangered species and aquatic programmes for Xerces, said although yellow-faced bees are found elsewhere in the world, the species now under protection are native only to Hawaii and pollinate indigenous plants.
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Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37530284
[font size=1]The yellow-faced bee was once abundant across Hawaii[/font]
