A project is under way to help recover the Moss carder bumblebee, one of the UK's most threatened species. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is leading a £907,000 three-year initiative alongside the University of Cambridge. The effort will focus on landscapes across Cornwall's coastal grasslands, dunes and heathland, as well as grazing marshes and sea walls in Kent and the upland fringe landscape of the North Pennines. The trust will work with landowners to trial "small-scale habitat interventions" to identify effective strategies while gaining a better understanding of the species' behavior and needs. The Moss carder bumblebee is found in small, fragmented populations, according to the trust. It is distinctive with a velvety covering of ginger-yellow hairs across its body and no black hairs. Habitat loss and fragmentation are likely to have a bigger impact on the Moss carder than many other species as it typically forages closer to its nest than most other bumblebees. This behavior makes it more vulnerable to changes in its immediate surroundings, such as the destruction or alteration of its habitat. Amy Plowman, head of conservation and science at the trust, said the project is "a hugely exciting and ambitious three-year project that gives us a real opportunity to turn the tide for one of the UK's rarest bumblebees." Funding worth more than £530,000 has been provided to the project by Natural England's Species Recovery Programme. Tylan Berry, Natural England's species and nature recovery networks senior officer, said the Species Recovery Programme was helping "take practical action to halt species decline and support nature recovery across England." Berry said the Moss carder was "one of England's most threatened pollinators." "Projects like this demonstrate how targeted investment can support practical conservation action on the ground," he added. The initiative highlights the importance of protecting pollinators, which play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and supporting food production.