Trump’s decision will wipe out Unique Bees: Scientists

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The decision of the U.S President Donald Trump to drastically reduce 2 national parks in Utah will be a threat to a hotspot of bee diversity. The western state is home to a quarter of the nation’s bee species. Most of them are unique and have never been closely documented by scientists. Scientists have now examined how the reduction of the parks, set up by Trump’s Democrat predecessors will affect the region’s pollinators. Scientists earlier found 660 species in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Professor Joseph Wilson of Utah State University led the study Trump announced one year ago. He said that the team has now discovered more 84 live outside of the conservation zone and the protections it affords. It includes some new, unfound species, as well as ‘morphospecies,’ which are unique individuals that don’t match known species.

Trump said that he was cutting the size of both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments, by 47 and 85% respectively. Bill Clinton created the Grand Staircase-Escalante zone while in office, and Barack Obama did the same with Bears Ears. Though the researchers behind the study said the fate of the bees was now uncertain. They pointed out that the lack of protection placed them at immediate risk of habitat destruction.

Professor Wilson said that if development is allowed in the unprotected areas, say, mining, road development, more recreational development, then yes, pollinator habitat could be lost. He also said that some of the vulnerable bees could be wiped out completely as the additional pressure of climate change made their desert habitat even hotter and drier than it is today. With pollinators playing a vital role in sustaining natural biodiversity and agriculture, Professor Wilson said it was urgent for policymakers to take their survival into account. He said that bees need to be a part of the management decisions.