Conservationists say wildlife-friendly farming schemes in Kent and East Sussex have restored habitats that support endangered species

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

England's five rarest bumblebees have made a comeback in a former stronghold thanks to wildlife-friendly farming that aims to support an extinct bee being reintroduced from New Zealand, conservationists said today.

The five threatened species, including the shrill carder bee which is England's rarest bumblebee, have spread their geographic range in the south-east as a result of environmental schemes in Dungeness and Romney Marsh.

Around 50 farms in the area have been working since January 2009 to restore habitats suitable for the short-haired bumblebee ahead of its reintroduction from New Zealand where it was taken more than a hundred years ago – and survived while becoming extinct here.

The project to bring back the species, which was transported to the other side of the world in the 19th century to pollinate red clover grown to feed sheep, was delayed after captured bees died in hibernation.

But the work to improve habitats in the area ahead of the short-haired bumblebee's eventual release has already had a positive effect on threatened species which are still found in the area, the wildlife experts said.

The five bumblebee species – the large garden bumblebee, the shrill carder bee, the shanked carder bee, the moss carder bee and the brown banded carder bee – have all increased their ranges in Kent and East Sussex this summer after decades of decline.

The shrill carder bee has been seen in areas where it has not been recorded for 25 years, according to the groups running the project.

The scheme by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, bee charity Hymettus, government conservation agency Natural England and the RSPB has involved local farmers and other landowners in creating habitats for bees under agri-environment schemes.

The measures include putting in pollen and nectar-rich flower margins to fields, growing red clover hay meadows and rotating the grazing of animals on land.

Project leader Dr Nikki Gammans said: "We embarked on this project so that we could create the right conditions to bring the short-haired bumblebee back to the UK – but an added benefit is that it has provided a real boost to these five threatened species.

"We hoped that we would begin to see results like this for these species but we really didn't expect to see it quite so quickly. It's a great result, and one we're very excited about."

She said the south of Kent used to have more species of bumblebee than any other area of the UK until populations declined in the second half of the 20th century.

Today's news was particularly heartening, she said, given declines of bees in the UK as a whole and the impact that could have on pollination of crops ranging from tomatoes to peas.

Environment minister Richard Benyon said: "Bumblebees play a vital role in helping to produce our food by pollinating crops."

"The decline in the number of bees is a concern for the long-term future of farming, so it is great to hear that the creation of these wildlife habitats has resulted in increased numbers of so many species of rare bumblebees.

"These results show the benefit of agri-environment schemes and the role farmers play in protecting and improving our wildlife."

Conservation groups fear agri-environment schemes, which pay farmers to manage their land in ways that is good for wildlife, could be at risk from the spending cuts which will be announced later this month.