Friday 20 March 2015

S.O.B.

Normally, this would be in the sidebar....
but I don't think this should.
It is from the BBC News channel this morning...
and I have quoted more than normal, too.
The link is in the header below:

One in ten wild bees face extinction in Europe

From the BBC article:
"Almost one in 10 of Europe's native wild bees face extinction, according to the most comprehensive expert assessment so far.

"The European Red List, drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, found 9.2% of nearly 2,000 species are threatened with extinction.

"Another 5% are likely to be threatened in the near future.

"Threats include loss of habitat from intensive farming, pesticide use, urban development and climate change.

"The new assessment made a number of recommendations, including:
1] Better monitoring and assessment of common and rare species
2] More protection for habitats supporting bees
3] Regulation of trade in managed bees, which may spread diseases
4] Long-term incentives to farmers to provide habitats for bees.

"Bees need to be incorporated into how we think about and develop sustainable agriculture."

"Insect pollination has an estimated economic value of 15bn euros per year in the EU alone.

"Boosting populations of pollinators would bring benefits to wildlife, the countryside and food producers, said the report."


But will the powers that be accept or ignore the comments...
will the agrochemical industry lobby be more powerful than science advisors??

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