It's estimated that there are only about nine vaquitas left in the world.The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), a bathtub-sized porpoise endemic to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico's Upper Gulf of California, has experienced a sharp population decline in the two past two decades, mainly due to illegal gillnet fishing for the critically endangered totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi).
In 2017, the Mexican government established a "no tolerance" zone to protect the vaquita from illegal fishing, and even expanded the area last September. But now the government has given fishers open access to the refuge, the only enforcement being a "sliding scale of sanctions if more than 60 boats are repeatedly seen in the area," according to Mexico News Daily.
"I fear this might be the death knell for the vaquita, as the plan that has been proposed by Mexico will convert what should be a straightforward 'no go' zone into a complex enforcement area with varying levels of monitoring and deterrence depending on the amount of illegal fishing taking place in the area," Kate O'Connell, marine consultant at the Washington, DC-based Animal Welfare Institute, told Mongabay. "The vaquita are being mismanaged to death."
Two vaquitas in the Sea of Cortez. Sea Shepherd
O'Connell said gillnet fishing is technically still banned in the Upper Gulf of California, but will likely take place in the former "no tolerance" zone without proper monitoring and enforcement.
"Mexico's fisheries authorities are indicating that they are either unable or unwilling to do all that is necessary to save the vaquita and are willing to accept a certain level of gillnet fishing activity," she said. "One hundred percent monitoring and enforcement of the fishing ban only kicks in once more than 50 illegal vessels are seen, or more than 200 meters [660 feet] of illegal gillnets are found in the area."
Andrea Crosta, executive director of Earth League International (ELI), an NGO that has been actively investigating totoaba trafficking in the region, said this move will likely seal the fate of the critically endangered species.
"It means the extinction of the vaquita and in general an increase of illegal gillnets that will have a significant impact on the marine life in the Sea of Cortez," Crosta told Mongabay. "It's like saying to illegal fishermen and totoaba traffickers, do what you want from now on."
Crosta said he thinks that abolishment of the "no tolerance" zone is a political move on behalf of the current Mexican government.
"I think that the current populist administration in Mexico is concerned only about voters, certainly not about environmental protection and endangered species, if this gets in the way of political gain," he said. "And if the vaquita will go extinct I am sure the current administration in Mexico will blame the administration before."
A vaquita swims near a fishing boat using gillnets. CONANP / Museo de la Ballena / SEA SHEPHERD
While this move could be advantageous to local fishers, Crosta said it will be the international totoaba traders, most of whom are Chinese nationals, who will reap the most benefits. "[They] will make a ton of money with even less risks than before," he said.
There have been multiple efforts and hundreds of thousands dollars spent to save the vaquita over the years, ranging from seafood sanctions to gillnet removal programs to illegal fishing patrols. In 2017, there was even an attempt to take the remaining vaquitas into captivity until illegal fishing ceased in the Upper Gulf of California. However, the plan was abandoned when the first captured vaquita died from the stress of capture.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international NGO that has been patrolling the Sea of Cortez since 2015, told Mongabay that it "remains committed to preventing the extinction of the vaquita" and that there are plans to return to the Upper Gulf of California as soon as possible to resume its gillnet retrieval efforts.
O'Connell said that AWI, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, the Environmental Investigation Agency and the Natural Resources Defense Council, have made urgent pleas to the international community to "both provide logistical and financial support to Mexico and to put pressure on the government by means of trade sanctions and other actions to ensure that the vaquita is saved."
"Despite their low numbers, there is still a slight glimmer of hope for the vaquita, if an actual complete shutdown of gillnet activity in the area can be achieved," O'Connell said. "The few remaining vaquita appear healthy and a number of calves have been spotted in recent years by researchers."
But Crosta said that unless the Mexican government works to dispel the totoaba cartels, he doesn't see "any hope for the vaquita."
"This is what happens when you focus only on anti-poaching and local communities, and not also on the trafficking networks and organized crime that run the whole show," he said. "This is what happens when there is a lot of indifference and incompetence."
Reposted with permission from Mongabay.
Buffy-headed marmoset (Callithrix flaviceps) rare species of marmoset, threatened of extinction, photographed in Santa Maria de Jetib, EspÍrito Santo - Brazil.
Species name:
The buffy-headed marmoset (Callithrix flaviceps)
Description:
This miniscule marmoset is a small, neotropical primate that weighs just 1 pound (460g) on average. It's endemic to the Atlantic forests of the southeastern region of Brazil, where it has the smallest distribution of any species in the Callithrix genus.
Courtesy Mountain Marmosets Conservation Program
Buffy-headed marmosets have a light, gray-brownish coat, with a cream-colored face, a yellowish-beige head and neck, and short, yellowish ear tufts. One endearing characteristic is the grayish shade of the fur above their eyes, which gives their faces a clownish appearance.
Where it's found:
These marmosets live mainly in the Atlantic forest fragments in the states of Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais, in southeastern Brazil. They range from south of the Rio Doce in Minas Gerais into the mountainous region of Espírito Santo state. The southernmost part of the species' range extends west into eastern Minas Gerais, where it's found in scattered localities in the Rio Manhuaçu basin as far as the Manhuaçu municipality.
The range of the species distribution overlaps with that of buffy tufted-ear marmoset (C. aurita), where a natural hybridization zone occurs.
Major threats:
The species inhabits areas that have suffered the effects of numerous anthropogenic pressures through extensive fragmentation and deforestation of forests due to expansion of urban areas, mining and agricultural activities. This has led to the replacement of native flora by pastures, coffee and eucalyptus plantations, as well as harmful activities like burning that are associated with agricultural expansion.
Peter Schoen (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In addition to these threats, the introduction of invasive primate species such as the common marmoset (C. jacchus) and black-eared marmoset (C. pencillata) precipitated a serious increase in competition and hybridization with the buffy-headed marmoset. Hybridization is particularly concerning as it leads to the loss of the genetic characteristics and could ultimately be a cause of extinction if the current scenario persists.
Another serious threat to the species comes from emerging diseases such as yellow fever, which since the last epidemic outbreak in 2016 has eliminated countless individuals of the species in the wild. We estimate that this has led to a sharp drop in C. flaviceps in some regions.
IUCN Red List status:
The buffy-headed marmoset status has only recently been updated to critically endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to a drastic population reduction. This decline is in large part the consequence of habitat destruction, the effects of hybridization and competition with invasive marmoset species, and the yellow fever epidemic that has reduced at least one of the more significant subpopulations by 90%.
Notable conservation programs or legal protections:
The Brazilian Ministry of Environment, through the ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation), has created National Action Plans that aim to prioritize conservation actions to support endangered species. The National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Atlantic Forest Primates and the Maned Sloth (PAN PPMA), created in 2018, covers 13 native species, including the buffy-headed marmoset and the closely related buffy-tufted marmoset, also an endangered species.
There are also initiatives for the conservation of marmosets, such as the Mountain Marmosets Conservation Program, which has been working in collaboration with several researchers and national and international institutions to put into practice the actions established by the PPMA PAN.
Through this program a series of guides, protocols and decision keys are currently being developed to conduct studies and research with C. flaviceps. and C. aurita. One of the actions originated from this international project was the creation of the Mountain Marmosets Conservation Center at the Federal University of Viçosa, which is the first center of primatology in the world focused exclusively on both mountain marmosets, and in developing conservation activities in situ and ex situ.
Our favorite experiences:
Carla: My favorite experience with this species came at a moment of great stress and concern.
I was conducting a primate community assessment at my study site, at the Private Protected Reserve of Natural Heritage — Feliciano Miguel Abdala in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, following the yellow fever outbreak that hit the southeastern region of the Atlantic forest late in 2016.
This site was once known for having one of the most important subpopulations of the species. However, the forest had become eerily quiet, and after several months of intense field work there were no signs of the groups that used to range this 4 square mile (1,000-hectare) forest fragment. I began to suspect the worse and to fear that the marmosets had been decimated and perhaps become locally extinct.
Fortunately, while I was conducting this monitoring, I finally managed to locate a couple of groups. It was a tremendous relief to me to see these animals and to know that they had not become locally extinct. Since that time I have been keeping track of these primates and I hope that our work will lead us to new findings and benefit their conservation in the wild.
Sarisha: I'm currently studying the buffy-headed marmoset at Macedônia Farm, a private natural reserve in Ipaba, a small town located in central Minas Gerais. Here I lead a population survey to contribute knowledge about the species locally and to develop conservation strategies.
There hadn't been any previous studies focusing on the species in this region, and we only had a few reports of their historic presence. Nevertheless, we managed to discover a few healthy and large groups, bringing a positive perspective for the species in the area.
For me, my favorite experience with this species has been observing these animals in the wild, in what remains of their natural habitat. The buffy-headed marmoset is a remarkable little primate, so for me it is these moments during fieldwork where I can appreciate their beauty and witness their dexterity in the trees.
What else do we need to understand or do to protect this species?
To effectively conserve this marmoset we need urgent studies concerning the occurrence of hybridization, interaction with the invasive species and the impacts of deforestation and yellow fever.
On top of that, there are significant knowledge gaps regarding their general behavior and ecology that we would like to fill by conducting further research.
Key research:
- Ferrari, S. F. (1988). The behaviour and ecology of the buffy-headed marmoset, Callithrix flaviceps (O. Thomas, 1903) (Vol. 1988). University College London.
- Ferrari, S. F. (2009). Social Hierarchy and Dispersal in Free-Ranging Buffy-Headed Marmosets (Callithrix flaviceps). The Smallest Anthropoids, 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0293-1
- Hilário, R. R. (2003). Padão de Atividades, Dieta e Uso do Habitat por Callithrix flaviceps na Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi, Santa Teresa, ES. Ecologia, May 2009, 1–115.
- Malukiewicz, J. (2019). A Review of Experimental, Natural, and Anthropogenic Hybridization in Callithrix Marmosets. International Journal of Primatology, 40(1), 72–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-018-0068-0
Carla B. Possamai is a biologist/primatologist researcher affiliated with the Brazilian ONG Muriqui Institute of Biodiversity. Possamai is the coordinator of the Primate Community of Caratinga project in Caratinga, Minas Gerais, which has been focusing on the studies and conservation actions regarding the buffy-headed marmosets amongst other critically endangered primate species. This project is currently funded by the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation through Global Wildlife Conservation. Carla is also a long-term collaborator with Dr. Karen Strier at the Muriqui Project of Caratinga.
Sarisha Trindade is a veterinary/master's student at the Department of Animal Biology at Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil. Her research focuses on the ecology and conservation of Callithrix flaviceps in a natural private reserve and surrounding forests located in Ipaba, a small city in central Minas Gerais. This research is financed by the cellulose company Cenibra in partnership with the Department of Forest Engineering of Federal University of Viçosa. She also works in the Mountain Marmosets Conservation Center at the Federal University of Viçosa.
Reposted with permission from The Revelator.
The population of little penguins has declined since the Tasmanian devils were introduced in 2012, but according to a report by BirdLife Tasmania, the most recent survey showed that the penguins were completely gone from the island, according to The Guardian.
The Tasmanian devils were moved to the island because of the threat of the highly contagious and deadly devil facial tumor disease.
The initial population of Tasmanian devils was 28 in 2012 but has since grown to around 100 devils as of 2016.
Just a decade ago, the 45 square mile island was the home to around 3,000 breeding pairs of little penguins.
Little penguins are the smallest of all the penguin species.BirdLife Tasmania / Eric Woehler
"Losing 3,000 pairs of penguins from an island that is a national park that should be a refuge for this species basically is a major blow," Woehler said to The Guardian.
Before the species were introduced to the island, a 2011 report by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, and Environment predicted that introducing the carnivorous species would have "a negative impact on little penguin and shearwater colonies on Maria Island through devil predation," according to The Guardian.
In addition to little penguins, researchers also found that Tasmanian devils had also destroyed colonies of short-tailed shearwaters on the Australian island. Wombats and possums are also prey to the devils, according to The Hill.
"Because of their larger size and ability to dig, devils had greater impacts on nesting shearwaters than either cats or possums [which also prey on the birds]," the study found.
Woehler noted that the devils impacted another bird species on the island: Cape Barren geese. The species are ground-nesting birds, but they've been nesting in trees to avoid the Tasmanian devils, he said.
The decision to bring the Tasmanian devils to the island a decade ago was sound according to Woehler because, at that time, the facial tumor disease was not well understood, according to The Guardian.
However, in 2020, researchers found that the facial tumor disease was unlikely to wipe out the population of Tasmanian devils.
The Save the Tasmanian Devil program's government spokesperson said that the program is continually monitored, according to The Independent.
"All effective conservation programs are adaptive and the STDP will continue to evolve in line with new knowledge in science and emerging priorities," the spokesperson said to The Guardian. "This also applies to Maria Island, where active monitoring and management occurs, and Maria Island remains an important part of the broader devil program to help restore and maintain an enduring and resilient wild devil population in Tasmania."
Woehler said, "it's rather hard to justify" keeping the Tasmanian devils on the island because of the new research on the facial disease. He said that it's likely the penguins will return once the devils are removed from the island, according to RT News.
Audrey Nakagawa is the content creator intern at EcoWatch. She is a senior at James Madison University studying Media, Art, and Design, with a concentration in journalism. She's a reporter for The Breeze in the culture section and writes features on Harrisonburg artists, album reviews, and topics related to mental health and the environment. She was also a contributor for Virginia Reports where she reported on the impact that COVID-19 had on college students.
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Species Name:
Large-antlered muntjac, also known as the giant muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis)
Description:
Large-antlered muntjac are a rich, dark brown overall and stand approximately 2 feet (60 cm) high at the shoulder. In common with many deer, they have a white underside to the tail, which is typically raised when alarmed. Like other muntjac they have simple, two-tined antlers, long pedicels and unique paired frontal glands on the rostrum between their eyes. Males, like other male muntjac, have long, sharp canine teeth they use in fighting.
Female large-antlered muntjac. Minh Nguyen / Association Anoulak and Nakai-Nam Theun National Park Authority
Where It's Found:
Annamite Mountain forests of Laos and Vietnam
IUCN Red List Status:
Major Threats:
Widespread intensive snaring throughout their small range is the number-one problem. This snaring is driven by a booming wildlife trade that encompasses the derivatives of many species — from well-known products of tigers and pangolins to gelatin derived from primate bones, turtle shells and medicinal plants. The large-antlered muntjac isn't a particular focus of the trade, but snares are indiscriminate. Trade is booming because of the economic and population growth of East Asian countries. Roads, dams, mines and other infrastructure investments make things worse, and because of sustained economic growth these are on the rise.
Illegal wildlife snares in Laos. Bill Robichaud / Global Wildlife Conservation / CC BY 2.0
Notable Conservation Programs or Legal Protections:
NGOs are trying but have no concrete success yet. Foundation Anoulak and Asian Arks are potentially poised to make a difference, but unfortunately even the species' legal protection does little to help.
My Favorite Experience:
In 2015 I saw my first wild muntjac. I was so enthralled by its cautious yet gracious movements and the delicacy of its existence that I immediately knew I wanted to do all I could to save the species from extinction. Going to the forest in Vietnam had always been sad, knowing of the challenges facing distinctive wildlife from rampant poaching. So seeing an animal, especially a large mammal, is always an exhilarating experience when, for a moment at least, I can forget about life's problems.
I love observing animal behavior, but seeing it in the wild, from a muntjac, is almost an impossibility. More often I get a sense of joy looking through camera-trap photos thinking about the behavior I might be observing in a series of photos — perhaps a fawn chasing back and forth around its mom. These are the moments that I'm hoping to see more often in my camera-trap photos; hopefully, when their population has recovered, I can see them in real life.
Key Research:
Understanding and linking proportional protection efforts to the scale of the threat (my Ph.D. focus).
What else do we need to understand or do to protect this species?
Following the advice of leading conservationists in Southeast Asia, I've been pursuing research to better understand the dynamics of the snaring and the impact it has on the large-antlered muntjac. Currently there's no data on how parameters such as snare density or spatial distribution affect population viability for any Annamite species. So, questions like "how large an area can a patrol team effectively cover?" simply can't be answered.
Better informed, strategic in situ conservation management is needed to save the species. The species has been disappearing so fast, however, that "just in case" ex situ conservation breeding has been recommended.
Minh Minh Nguyen is working to conserve the large-antlered muntjac amongst the brilliant diversity of the Annamite region. Minh and her team's work is supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) and the Saola Working Group, and is conducted using permits granted through a collaboration between Nong Lam University and the Chu Yang Sin National Park. Minh is currently a Ph.D. student at Colorado State University, supported by scholarships from the AAUW – International Fellowship, the Wildlife Conservation Network and Colorado State University, where she hopes to gather as much support as she can to change the fate of the species she loves. She's also passionate about education, particularly empowering new generations of conservationists, and continues to mentor undergraduate students back home in Vietnam. When networking with conservation colleagues, she always tries to find opportunities for people new to conservation to get involved.
Reposted with permission from The Revelator.
According to an EarthDay.Org report, there are more than 20,000 distinct bee species worldwide. In the U.S., there are native bees (more than 4,000 species) and commercially managed bees (mostly imported European honeybees). Both are vital for different reasons. The former are wild and keep our forests and meadow ecosystems functioning; the latter are managed by big agriculture to pollinate crops that feed the world.
Unfortunately, most bees are in trouble. Colonies around the world are collapsing and many species are edging towards extinction. Their plight has been described as the death of a thousand cuts, and the causes range from widespread pesticide use to disease to climate change.
So, what can we do? How can we save the bees? Here's everything you need to know.
Why Are Bees Important?
Westend61 / Getty Images
In short, bees matter because they're pollinators.
"Pollinators are small but mighty parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world," Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius said in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) statement that accompanied the agency's listing of the rusty patched bumblebee as endangered. "Without them, our forests, parks, meadows and shrublands, and the abundant, vibrant life they support, cannot survive, and our crops require laborious, costly pollination by hand."
Ecosystem Services
In the wild, many plants rely on pollinators to reproduce and continue growing. Additionally, various animals depend on these plants for their survival. That's why, according to the EarthDay.Org report, bees are a "keystone species" — they pollinate the food sources of so many other organisms.
In creating floral growth, pollination also provides habitat for insects and birds, the report noted.
Greenpeace described bees as prolific in their work: a single colony can pollinate 300 million flowers each day.
Moreover, bees themselves and the honey they produce are good food sources for many animals.
"Take bees out of the equation, and the effects can be felt all the way up the food chain," explained another EarthDay.Org article. Bees and other insects keep the food chain working.
This is especially true of native bees.
"Native plants attract native bees," explained Krystle Hickman, a bee photographer and community scientist. These plants rely on their bees for pollination. Honeybees, which were imported to North America, prefer to pollinate non-native species, she added.
In a commentary piece for Mongabay, Hickman explained how native bees evolved alongside native plants, to which they are adapted. Over millions of years, these plants and their pollinators adjusted to the same changes in climate and habitat. So, saving native bees also means saving native plants and therefore native ecosystems, she said.
Bees Feed the World
Bees similarly pollinate the majority of human food. According to Greenpeace, bees pollinate a "staggering" 70% of crops that feed people, including our fruits, nuts and vegetables.
Greenpeace also reported that honeybees, both wild and domestic, perform roughly 80% of all pollination activities worldwide. This includes everything from asparagus to broccoli, cotton to coffee, noted Heifer.org. Certain crops rely almost entirely on honeybee pollination. Cherries and blueberries, for example, are 90% dependant, and almonds are 100% reliant on honeybees, reported the American Beekeeping Federation. Importantly, honeybees also pollinate alfalfa, an important grass feed for beef and dairy cows.
In the future, "pollination shortfalls" for fruits and vegetables could trigger "nutritional deficits" in diets as fresh foods are replaced by wild-pollinated grains, rice and corn, The Guardian warned.
Economic Impacts
The pollination services that bees provide confer a huge economic benefit to the world. The EarthDay.Org report valued bee-pollinated crops worldwide to be worth $577 billion annually. In the U.S. alone, pollinators contribute $24 billion to the agricultural industry every year through pollination, the report said.
Beyond agriculture, entire industries are also based around bee-derived products like beeswax and honey. If these multibillion-dollar industries collapse, it could put tens of thousands out of work and harm the economy.
Food Security Concerns
Bees, generally, but honeybees, in particular, are "essential to healthy crops, and their rapid decline threatens global food security," reported Heifer.org.
Scientists forecast that as bee populations continue to decline, the production of food crops will also decrease. Unfortunately, this is directly opposite what the world needs.
Crop yields for key crops like apples, cherries and blueberries are already down across the U.S. because of a lack of bees in agricultural areas, a 2020 Rutgers study found. Because the U.S. is the largest food exporter in the world, the downstream effect of a crop shortage would be massive and global.
As the global population continues to grow — up to 10 billion by 2050, scientists estimate — we will need more food to feed everyone. Without bees, what or who will pollinate the crops?
What's Happening to the Bees?
Liam Hirst-Graves / EyeEm / Getty Images
So, why are bees dying?
"Habitat loss, acute and chronic pesticide poisoning, diseases and parasites, increasing intensification of conventional farming, and even the impacts of climate change are all taking their toll on bee health," noted SaveBees.Org. "Many of our bees are sick, stressed, and undernourished."
U.S. National Agricultural Statistics reported a 60% honeybee hive decline from 1947 (~6 million hives) to 2008 (~2.4 million hives). The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found an alarming 40% collapse of honeybee colonies from spring 2017 to 2018.
Unfortunately, it's not just managed bees that are in trouble. In 2017, the Center for Biological Diversity reported that one in four native bee species is at risk of extinction.
"[Certain native] populations are now very small and extremely vulnerable to slight habitat changes," Mongabay reported.
In 2017, the rusty patched bumblebee became the first wild bee to be listed as endangered in the continental U.S. Once "common" and "abundant," the species experienced a "swift and dramatic decline" of 87% in the late 1990s and continuing to the present, Mongabay also reported. Only small, scattered populations remain.
Because native bees pollinate native plants, if the bees go extinct, it could also wipe out endangered plant species and disrupt entire ecosystems, the report added.
A 'Perfect Storm'
Bees are facing a "perfect storm" that threatens their future survival. Who and/or what is to blame for this bee apocalypse?
Human activity is the primary driver, with habitat loss, pesticide use, monoculture farming and climate change wreaking havoc on bees and other insects.
Habitat Loss
Habitat loss, particularly of flowering meadows and fields, is devastating bee populations. As humans industrialize and urbanize, there are fewer places for bees to nest or forage. Less greenery and less diversity of plants in and around suburbs and cities mean bee habitats have become fragmented. What's left are "pollinator deserts" that have replaced once abundant wildflower meadows, SaveBees.Org reported.
Pesticides vs. Pollinators
The rise of commercial agriculture brought about increased pesticide use. These chemicals, especially those in the neonicotinoid family, have decimated bee populations.
Pesticides kill bees or weaken bee immune systems, leaving them more prone to diseases and parasites, SaveBees.Org reported. Still, the toxins are widely used both commercially and in homes. For example, undisclosed "inert" ingredients in Roundup are lethal to bumblebees, but the product remains on shelves.
A 2019 study found that agriculture became 48 times more toxic to insects in the U.S. between 1992 and 2014, largely because of neonicotinoid use.
"While climate change, habitat loss, and disease all play a role in the rate of colony collapse, mounting scientific evidence links the recent dramatic spike in bee deaths to the rise of neonic (short for neonicotinoid) pesticides — now the most heavily used insecticides in the United States," reported the NRDC.
Neonicotinoids can kill bees "on contact" and even trace exposures harm their ability to navigate, forage, and reproduce, the environmental organization noted.
Daniel Raichel, who is the NRDC's acting director of their pollinator initiative, called neonicotinoids "phenomenally toxic" to bees and other animals. These chemicals easily spread through soil and water, getting absorbed by wild plants. The pesticides are designed to be absorbed by every part of a plant, to "make the plant itself the pesticide," Raichel explained to EcoWatch. Thus, pollen and nectar from crops treated with nicotinoids become poisonous to bees and other pollinators.
"One neonic-treated corn seed can have enough active ingredient to kill a quarter-million bees or more and one square foot of neonic-treated lawn, at the EPA approved label rate, can have enough active ingredient to kill a million bees," Raichel explained.
Companies are aware of the devastating effect of pesticides on pollinators, but continue to evade and market around such facts because the chemical business is big money. How much? A 2020 report from Unearthed showed that the world's top five pesticide makers are making billions from chemicals that have been proven hazardous to humans, the environment and bee populations.
Monoculture, Multiple Problems
Habitat loss and pesticide use correlate with the rise in farming to meet food demands from a growing global population. As industrial agribusiness converted grasslands and forests — wild bee habitat — into monoculture farms overridden with chemicals, bee populations plummeted, Greenpeace reported.
Monoculture farming involves planting only one crop over a large area over and over. Rather than rotating crops to naturally restore soil nutrients and vitamins, monoculture farming depletes soils and invites weed and pest invasions, One Green Planet explained. That's why this type of farming often requires heavy pesticide, fertilizer and fossil fuel use to ensure maximum yield, Down to Earth reported. In the U.S., this is now the dominant farming practice.
To pollinate massive fields of monocrops, farmers often employ migratory bees. These are trucked-in European honeybees that are shipped across the U.S. to pollinate crops like avocados and almonds. U.S. farming couldn't function without this practice, but critics warn against its use.
The practice could stress, injure or kill bees, CNN reported. Also, forcing bees to gather pollen and nectar from a single, monoculture crop — the one they've been recruited to pollinate — means they receive fewer nutrients than they would with a natural, varied diet, Scientific American reported.
Finally, the report added, the shuttling of bees from area to area guarantees the spread of viruses, mites and fungi between the managed bees themselves and with native bees and other insects.
Climate Crisis and Environmental Threats to Bees
If the deadly combination of habitat loss, toxic pesticides and industrial agriculture wasn't enough, there are also environmental threats to bees.
For instance, research has found that pollutants linger on the bodies of honeybees in areas with high levels of air pollution, exposure to diesel exhaust interferes with their foraging ability and air pollution may affect the heart and immune systems of wild honeybees.
Climate change is also complicating things. A Feb. 2020 study found that bee populations experienced the largest decline in places that have warmed at a faster rate than the rest of the planet. The result, scientists warned, could be the extinction of the bumblebee due to the climate crisis.
"Our results show that we face a future with many less bumblebees and much less diversity, both in the outdoors and on our plates," said Peter Soroye, lead author of the study.
Different species of bees have also evolved to feast on certain blooms and during certain times of the year. As global temperatures shift, flowers could bloom earlier or later in the season, reducing the time that bees have to feed on them, the EarthDay.Org report said. Additionally, climate change could cause species of plants that bees rely on to go extinct, and conditions for life could otherwise become inhospitable for bees.
Disease, Mites and Parasites
These multiple, overlapping factors continue to affect bee populations negatively and make them more susceptible to diseases and pests.
For example, in late 2020, a single-celled fungal pathogen called Nosema emerged as the latest threat to bees. Nosema reproduces in a bee's gut, where it ruptures, spreads and infects the rest of the digestive tract. It leads to lethargy, reduced foraging ability and directional sense, and, often, death. Once one bee in a colony is affected, the fungus spreads quickly because hives are crowded. This can lead to total colony collapse.
Also, when infected bees visit flowers, they can leave the pathogen on surfaces that other wild pollinators land on. This "community spread" of insect diseases has been called a "pandemic" in its own right.
Finally, the Varroa mite is harming many bees. This parasite attaches to the bodies of honey bees and sucks their fat tissues, a PNAS report found. This weakens adults and can kill juvenile bees. Unfortunately, the mite is also a vector for at least five debilitating bee viruses. A significant mite infestation can kill an entire honey bee colony.
How Can We Save the Bees?
That brings us to how we can save the bees. Just like there are multiple threats endangering bee populations, so too there are numerous actions one can take to help. We can start by reversing the major threats to bees we've already covered.
Threat | "Reversal" as Solution |
Habitat Loss |
|
Pesticide Use |
|
Monoculture Farming and Migratory Beekeeping |
|
Climate Change and Air Pollution |
|
Diseases, Mites, and Parasites |
|
Keep a Bee Garden & Hotel
The most accessible solution is to give bees more food, water and shelter.
Plant native wildflowers and flowering shrubs at home and in community plots. Ideally, you'll choose native flowers that bloom at different times of the year to nourish as many different species of bees as possible. Fruit trees such as apples, pears, plums and cherries are also excellent pollinator food sources, SaveBees.Org recommended, as are vegetable and herb plots. Even small balcony gardens help passing pollinators rest up and rejuvenate.
Or, dig up a part of your lawn and convert it to meadow — prime native bee habitat — by replacing grass with native wildflowers and no-mow areas. Dandelions, in particular, are pollen-rich and last very long in the year. They feed a great variety of bee species.
Germany has taken this solution to a national scale, with a country-wide project to plant urban wildflower meadows. As of June 2021, more than 100 flower and wild grass beds have been planted in Germany's largest cities to aid their 580 species of native bees. The meadows include endangered native plants as well as annual blooms selected to bloom year-round.
Next, provide water for bees and other insects to drink. With fragmented habitats, bees can get dehydrated searching for nectar. Help by creating a shallow water bath with sticks or stones for bees to land on. Replace standing water weekly to prevent mosquitoes from developing.
You can also create simple bee "hotels" out of scrap wood and packing materials for native bees. Most native species nest in wood, dried stems or in the ground, SaveBees.Org reported. Providing similar materials nearby to flowers and water can allow these bees to get through their winter season. Experts recommend sanitizing the "hotels" between seasons to avoid pests, diseases and cross-contamination.
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In the U.S., you can also support the Biden administration's infrastructure agenda, which includes funding for pollinator-friendly roadsides and the removal of invasive species alongside traditional infrastructures such as roads and bridges.
Ban or Reduce Pesticide Use — Especially Neonicotinoids
Mounting evidence shows that we must address our overuse of pesticides if we are to save the bees. Several government bodies are doing so. For example, the nation of Bhutan has adopted a 100% organic farming policy, Greenpeace reported. Also, the European Union voted to ban outdoor use of three major neonics, and Canada is moving towards curtailing its use of chemicals, the NRDC reported.
The U.S. has thus far failed to take significant federal action.
"...The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has so far failed to act. That's why NRDC is putting pressure on the EPA, both in and out of court," the organization said.
Meanwhile, some states are taking up the fight: Connecticut, Maryland and Vermont have banned the sale of bee-killing pesticides to consumers, Environment America reported. The NRDC is simultaneously working with other states to promote smart pesticide policies and to build pollinator habitats while pushing major retailers to take neonic products and neonic-treated plants off their shelves.
As an individual, you can urge Congress to ban Neonicotinoids right now and to pass the Saving America's Pollinators Act, EarthDay.Org recommended. The organization also asks individuals to sign their Earth Day Network's Pesticide Pledge to reduce pesticide use.
As a consumer, you can also reach out to large companies to demand they stop selling bee-killing products. The power of social movements should not be underestimated.
Swap Monoculture for Ecological Farming
Monoculture is not the way to go if we are to protect the future of bees. Alongside diversifying crops, Futurity also recommended increasing the diversity of managed pollinators and investing in honeybee colonies. This can help avoid diseases and colony collapse within current agricultural systems.
Greenpeace called these "big agriculture" systems, with their monoculture farms and widespread pesticide use, "dysfunctional and destructive." The organization instead advocates for "ecological farming" as a way to stabilize human food production, preserve wild habitats and protect the bees.
Going organic like Bhutan is a great first step. Avoiding genetically modified crops is another. Mexico and eight European countries have banned certain genetically modified foods in order to protect native varieties, Greenpeace reported.
"Ecological, organic farming is nothing new," the organization shared. "It is the way most farming has been done throughout human history. Ecological farming resists insect damage by avoiding large monocrops and preserving ecosystem diversity. Ecological farming restores soil nutrients with natural composting systems, avoids soil loss from wind and water erosion, and avoids pesticides and chemical fertilizers."
These actions restore bee populations and health, which in turn improves pollination rates, which boosts crop yields — all without harmful pesticides.
Mongabay recommended a middle-ground solution: planting native plants alongside crop fields to encourage diversity amongst bees and pollinators. Farming alongside a native ecosystem allows for pollination without the use of commercial honeybees. Importantly, many smaller farms already employing such crop management practices have achieved seed and fruit set "on par" with that achieved by honeybees.
Address Climate Change
As with many things, lessening the severity of the climate crisis and other environmental stresses will solve a lot of other problems. For example, less fossil fuel use lessens air pollution, which has been shown to coat bees. Preventing further extreme warming of the planet will also ensure more habitat remains liveable for bees in the future and will protect more native plants.
What Else Can You Do?
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In addition to the tips above to reverse the most severe threats bees are facing, you can shop responsibly.
When you buy fruits, vegetables and honey from local farmers or in a CSA (community-supported agriculture) box, you support earth-friendly, organic agriculture. Even if you don't have access to these products, "...eating organic goes a long way to help the bees!" added Heifer.Org.
Responsible consumption for the bees goes beyond food. According to SaveBees.Org, buying and wearing only certified organic cotton is a major step because cotton ranks "among the highest" in terms of pesticide use on crops.
To contribute more, you can also participate in citizen-science pollinator projects to plant flowers and look for bees, SaveBees.Org recommended.
The site also advised supporting pollinator-friendly bills and initiatives and speaking with elected representatives about the importance of bees.
Continue Learning
Finally, continue learning and sharing about bees and the challenges they're facing. There are many sources, movements, organizations and initiatives out there. Here are some of our favorite:
- National Pollinator Week bringing attention to the plight of bees and other pollinators
- 15 Organizations and Initiatives to Follow working to save bees around the world
- Citizen-Science Pollinator Projects ways to get involved further in helping pollinators
- Burt's Bees bee conservation partnership with E.O. Wilson planning to map 6,000 different bee species
- Xerces Society works with scientists, land managers, educators, policymakers, farmers and citizens to create science-based change, especially concerning protecting pollinators from habitat loss and pesticides
- Bee Mission bee-inspired products that fund conservation efforts
Tiffany Duong is a writer, explorer and motivational speaker. She holds degrees from UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. As a contributing reporter at EcoWatch, she gives voice to what's happening in the natural world. Her mission is to inspire meaningful action and lasting change. Follow her on Twitter/Instagram @tiffmakeswaves.
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