The Kölblodbi, a species declared nationally extinct, has been observed in Sweden for the first time since 1991. The discovery was made during an inventory at Kallinge airfield in Blekinge, writes Lund University in a press release.
"We ourselves got a bit of an increased pulse from this," says Maj Rundlöf, ecologist and environmental scientist at Lund University and leader of the evaluation project, in the press release.
"It's hopeful to find rare and threatened species. Now that we know they still exist, there's still a chance to restore their habitats so that the populations become long-term viable."
The finds were made in a project that evaluates how restoration measures financed by the government affect Sweden's most threatened biota.
The Kölblodbi, a bee that exists in only a few places around Eurasia, has not been observed in Sweden since 1991 and never outside Öland, despite intense searches.
