"Scientists have mapped the distribution of bumblebees in Europe and created a predictive map that can be used to monitor and mitigate bumblebee decline." reports the European Joint Research Center in one of its latest headlines.

Scientists from the EU-funded STEP project and  the JRC have mapped the distribution of the 47 most common bumblebee species, which are known to be important pollinators due to their distinctive physical characteristics such as body size, hair and strength. 

This led to the creation of 47 maps based on environmental land data, climate statistics and field observations.

Experts can use the maps to assess the distribution of bumblebees across the EU and predict potential areas of decline for each species.

More about this study can be found in the open access data paper published in One Ecosystem.

Bumblebees species richness.