Today, the US Fish and Wildlife Service launched the Center for Pollinator Conservation to address declining pollinator populations in North America. The national center will provide science, support decision-making, and coordinate and share best practices with land managers to overcome some of the most important challenges facing pollinators.
“The Center for Pollinator Conservation will advance our existing conservation efforts and welcome all those interested in improving pollinator populations,” he said. Service Director Martha Williams. “Given the importance of pollinators to food security, the opening of this center will improve the way we work as an agency, dedicate shared resources, and provide a space where we can participate and join with others to conserve pollinators”.
The Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland first announced the Service’s intention to launch the center as part of the inaugural Monarch Butterfly Summit in June 2022.
The center will initially launch as a virtual collaborative space and focus on three key themes: highlighting the importance of pollinators, understanding and responding to threats, and coordinating actions to reverse declines. Planned work for the center’s first year includes conducting assessments of the current state of conservation and pollinator science at the US Fish and Wildlife Service; hear programs from agencies and other partners around the country about how the center might work and what it can offer; and develop medium and long-term strategies for the center and its work, including the call for a physical center for its operations.
Over the past 30 years, the scientific and conservation communities have documented a steep decrease in pollinator populations. Examples include the decline of the American bumblebee by 90%, the monarch butterfly by 80%, and the Allen’s hummingbird by 88%. Face of pollinators big challenges, like
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exposure to pesticides and habitat loss The center will work to amplify and add to ongoing efforts to improve the status of pollinators.
Since 2015, the Service has dedicated more than $25 million to conserving pollinators, especially the monarch butterfly. The establishment of the center is another important investment to protect and promote the health of pollinators. The Service will continue to make pollinators a priority, share progress with stakeholders and base decisions on the best available science.
The Service encourages federal and state agencies, tribes, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders to strategically align the work of pollinators and connect with the Center. Embracing a diversity of pollinator conservation interest groups will help everyone achieve broader pollinator successes.
Pollinators benefit from widespread and ongoing conservation actions, which help reduce threats. These efforts include planting native plants to provide food for pollinators from flowers that bloom in the spring, summer, and fall, and avoiding or limiting pesticide use by following label directions.
More information can be found online at: https://fws.gov/initiative/pollinators.