Meeting of the Parliament 08 November 2016
I congratulate Graeme Dey on securing today’s debate, which has had widespread interest from members and which is one of the most interesting debates that we have had so far. I thank Scottish Environment LINK for developing the species champion model. Alert members will notice that I am wearing my species champion badge. I was never good enough to get a Blue Peter badge, but, as far as I am concerned, a species champion badge is much better.
I champion the great yellow bumblebee, which can be found on the north coast of Scotland and on some of our islands. Their breeding cycle is relatively short, which is probably an adaptation to the very brief Highland and Island summers that I experience first hand, too. Interestingly, they nest underground, often in the old burrows of small mammals.
Great yellow bumblebees are the UK’s rarest bumblebees. Their population declined more than 80 per cent in the previous century, largely due to the loss of flower-rich meadows, the intensification of farming and changes in grazing practices. They only really survive in the Highlands and Islands region that I represent, where there is flower-rich machair and where traditional crofting practices are still maintained. They are found in the Western Isles, Orkney and the Hebrides; the only mainland population is in Caithness and Sutherland.
Agricultural intensification has drastically changed the landscape and taken away the three main requirements for the great yellow bumblebees’ survival: nesting sites, a pollen supply throughout the season and a suitable place to hibernate through the long winters. Any action to protect them against further depletion—caused by, for example, heavy summer grazing, the addition of harmful fertilisers, the adoption of monocultures or the abandonment of rotational machair cropping—is likely also to hugely benefit a range of other insect species.
Thurso was privileged to receive a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund last year to create a fantastic project called Thurso: gateway to the great yellow, which I have had the great privilege to visit. The project created the first great yellow bumblebee town and includes education and outreach activities as well as wide-ranging practical measures to help with the preservation of this dwindling species. That has been a great boost for local biodiversity—not just for the great yellow bumblebee, but for many pollinators in the area. They have been struggling due to the reduction in wildflowers and the use of pesticides such as neonicotinoids, which are known to be destructive to those species.
Many organisations are already taking steps to work together for the great yellow bumblebee. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has been monitoring the species and working on habitat management, and has received funding from Scottish National Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund for a dedicated bee conservation officer for Scotland. The species action framework programme has also trained many volunteers who support the species, and organisations such as the RSPB are managing their sites within the bees’ distribution range to encourage them.
The initiative is excellent and I will encourage Labour members who are not yet involved to become species champions during the parliamentary session.
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