Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program Theme IV/Black Xerces society's... · Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program: Converting Science into Conservation Practice

Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program:Converting Science into Conservation Practice

Scott Black and Mace VaughanThe Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

The Xerces Society

International nonprofit that protects wildlife and its habitat through the conservation of invertebrates.

What is the Xerces Society?What is the Xerces Society?

© Edward Ross

• Why native bees?• Pollinators and

habitat protection• Research needs• Case study from

California• Converting science

into practice

Talk Outline

Where are we going?Where are we going?

© Bruce Newhouae

Amazing pollinator diversity (4,000 spp of bee in the U.S.)

Why native bees: DiversityWhy native bees: Diversity

© Mace Vaughan © Mace Vaughan

© Edward S. Ross © USDA-ARS/Jack Dykinga© Mace Vaughan

© Sarah Greenleaf

When honey bees are in short supply, native bees can act as an insurance policy when their habitat is present.

Native bees pollinated approximately $3 billion of crops in the year 2000.

Why native bees:Why native bees:AgricultureAgriculture

© Mace Vaughan

Fifty-one species of native bees have been observed visiting watermelon, sunflower, or tomato in California.

Over forty-five species of bees have been recorded pollinating berry crops in Maine and Massachusetts.

Sixty-seven species of native bees visit blueberries in Nova Scotia.


USDA-ARS/Jack Dykinga

Native pollinators have been shown to nearly triple the production of cherry tomatoes in California.

Wild native bees improve the pollination efficiency of honey bees in hybrid sunflower seed crops by causing them to move between male and female rows more often.


© Sarah Greenleaf

Using native pollinators to pollinate crops and protect habitat

Conservation focused on pollinators is a way to conduct cooperative habitat protection and restoration in working lands.

A win-win for all.

Value of pollinator conservation for Value of pollinator conservation for habitat protectionhabitat protection

© Karen Ward, NPS

Plants and wildlife

About 70% of the world’s plants require a pollinator

Fruits and seeds are a major part of the diet of about 25% of birds, and many mammals

Pollinators themselves are food for wildlife

© Marie Read

© Edward S. Ross

Value of pollinator conservation for farmland: Value of pollinator conservation for farmland: The wildlife connectionThe wildlife connection

Pollinator needs

Natural Areas with foraging and nesting sites

Restored areas with plant diversity throughout the growing season

Refuge from pesticides

Value of pollinator conservation for Value of pollinator conservation for overall habitat protectionoverall habitat protection

© Bruce Newhouse

Importance of natural areasIf more than 30% of the area within 1.2 km of a field is natural habitat, growers can achieve full pollination of watermelons by native bees in the Central Valley, California

In the absence of honey bees, canola growers make more money on their land if 30% is in natural habitat, rather than planting it all

Value of pollinator conservation for farmland: Value of pollinator conservation for farmland: Watermelon in CaliforniaWatermelon in California

Other benefits of habitat

• Reduced erosion• Reduced drift of

pesticides • Other beneficial

insects• Clean and cooler

water

© NRCS Lynn Betts

Value of pollinator conservation for farmland: Value of pollinator conservation for farmland: Other conservation benefitsOther conservation benefits

What Research Would Benefit Native Pollinator Conservation?

© Edward S. Ross

Research needed by conservationistsResearch needed by conservationistsworking in agricultural landscapesworking in agricultural landscapes

• Role of wild bees in crop pollination• Habitat features bees require in different landscapes • Amount of habitat needed to provide a specific amount of

pollination service• Effectiveness of restoring habitat for native bees

© Andrew Holder, Xercs Society

• >50 species visit crops in Yolo County, CA

• Native bees alone provided significant pollination for watermelon farms close to natural habitat

• Native bees shown to increase production of sunflowers and tomatoes

Pollinator Conservation Research:Pollinator Conservation Research:Case Study from CaliforniaCase Study from California

Native bees and the non-crop flowers they use

Salix sp.*Arctostaphylos manzanita*Cercis occidentalis*

Rosa californica*Baccharis salicifoliaPhacelia imbricataLupinus sp.*Eriodictyon californicum

Escholtzia californica*Tritelaia laxa

Cornus sericea*Eriogonum fasciculatumLotus scopariusHeteromeles arbutifolia*Adenostoma fasciculatumRhamnus californica*

Cephalanthus occidentalis*Calycadenia paucifloraHelianthus annuus*Mentzelia laevicaulisGrindelia camporumTrichostema lanceolatumw

Eremocarpus setigerusw

Baccharis pilularis*Epilobium canumHemizonia congestaStephanomeria virgata

And chl

And cer

Diabit

Mel spp

Ant urb Dia sppBom cal Hal spp Bom vos

SummerSpring Fall


• Collaboration with UC Berkeley, Audubon California and the Center for Land-Based Learning

• Implementing restoration and monitoring

• impact on native bee community and

• impact on pollination function


Site restoration

• Using specially chosen plants in planting mix

• Including nest blocks• Ground nesting and bumble

bees supported by areas of stable ground and grassed buffers

© Mace Vaughan

Nest block photo


©

Butler site December 2006

Pollinator Conservation Research:Pollinator Conservation Research:Site restorationSite restoration

©

Butler site March 2007


© Katharina Ullmann

Farm on Putah Creek (CLBL)


Monitoring Bee Community

• Netting at flowers• Pan trapping • Vegetation

surveys to assess amount of forage available

Pollinator Conservation Research:Pollinator Conservation Research:MonitoringMonitoring

Monitoring Pollination Function

Phytometers: using plants of economic importance to monitor increase in pollination from local bee community

© Dr. James Altland , OSU

© USDA ARS

Pollinator Conservation Research:Pollinator Conservation Research:MonitoringMonitoring

Strategies for using scientific information

© Mace Vaughan

Strategies for using scientific information

• Workshops• Media• Educational

publications• Technical advice• Collaborations• Policy

Where do we go from here?Where do we go from here?

Natural Resource Conservation Service

An organization ready to put pollinator conservation research to work

Where do we go from here?Where do we go from here?Collaboration with partnersCollaboration with partners

© Robert Parks

Fully integrating native pollinators into Farm Bill programs can have a wide impact.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) allocated over $1 billion in financial and technical assistance to farmers in 2006.

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) retired over 36 million acres of farmland, 4.5 million specifically for wildlife.

Where do we go from here?Where do we go from here?Collaboration with partnersCollaboration with partners

• Demonstration sites at Plant Material Centers and farms

• Workshops for landowners• Technical assistance to

growers interested in pollinator conservation

Collaboration with NRCSCollaboration with NRCS

Engaging with the NRCS—local level

Engaging with the NRCS—state level

• Help develop regional pollinator technology notes (focus on plant information)

• Training their conservationists

• Engaging in state tech advisory committees to help pollinators stay on the radar

• Help develop pollinator restoration projects


• Working to include pollinators as a priority in NRCS conservation programs

• Current legislation (e.g. Pollinator Habitat Protection Act)


Engaging with the NRCS—national level

Federal Legislation and 2007 Farm BillSenate Bill 1496: Pollinator Habitat Protection Act

Senator Boxer’s Pollinator Protection (Research) ActHouse Resolution 1709: Pollinator Protection Act (CCD)

Where do we go from here?Where do we go from here?Federal legislationFederal legislation

• Xerces Society publications

• www.xerces.org

• 503-232 6639

• [email protected]

More Information on Native Bee More Information on Native Bee ConservationConservation

Thanks and questions

Thanks to our collaborators and funders:

• NRCS

• CS Fund

• Gaia Foundation

• Goldman Fund

• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

• Xerces Society members

Thanks and questions

© Mace Vaughan

www.xerces.org

Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program Theme IV/Black Xerces society's... · Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program: Converting Science into Conservation Practice

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