Webinar: Pollinators, People, and Pesticides
May 29, 2014
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders
_______________________________
Funder Entry Points
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Xerces is seeking funding partners to join them in achieving the following goals:
1. Building Pollinator Program Capacity
There is a huge and unmet demand for pollinator conservation training among farm agencies,
sustainable agriculture organizations, and individual farmers. Almost daily, Xerces has to turn
down speaking requests and assistance requests by farmers, instead referring them to print and
web educational resources for more information. The existing Xerces Pollinator Program staff is
currently working at capacity. Funder support could add new staff biologist positions,
expanding their outreach and technical support capacity. All capacity building support to the
Xerces Pollinator Program will be matched 1:1 by USDA, effectively doubling funder impact.
2. Habitat Restoration Demonstration Sites
A key tool in promoting the adoption of habitat restoration is the development of
demonstration sites in farm communities across the U.S. Peer-group influence is a powerful
way to share information. When farmers can see a native wildflower field border, pollinator
hedgerow, insectary cover crop, or other conservation feature first-hand, the concept becomes
immediately tangible. Barriers to adoption quickly disappear when it is clear that such habitat
features can be realistically installed, that they are not a source of weeds, and that they are
visually appealing. We have found, based upon extensive nationwide examples, that where
demonstration projects are launched on private farms and research stations local farmers are
quickly inspired to take action on their own land.
Support for the development of demonstration sites will help supply project management,
design and installation consulting, and supply some of the raw materials for projects across the
U.S. Potential international opportunities are also available, including partnership opportunities
to support work in India where there is a huge need for habitat and pollinator protection.
3. Critical Protection for Rare and Declining Pollinators in Working Farmlands
A recent analysis by Xerces and partner scientists at U.S. universities revealed that one third of
North American bumble bee species are now at risk of extinction. In addition to being highvalue agricultural pollinators, bumble bees play a pivotal role in the reproduction of many
native plants.
Similarly, numerous butterflies continue to decline, with some, like the Karner blue and the
Poweshiek skipper, moving closer toward extinction. Equally alarming, formerly common
butterflies such as the monarch are experiencing the most alarming population losses ever
documented.
Agricultural intensification is a leading factor in the decline of all of these pollinators. Yet,
working farmlands also provide the best possible hope for their recovery. By investing in this
critical issue, you can empower Xerces to work with state and federal agencies to assess
population trends, develop management and recovery guidelines that will protect these species
in farm conservation easements, and implement efforts to mass propagate the high-value
native plants necessary to restore habitat for these pollinators in farm-edge areas.
4. Working to Reduce Pesticide Impacts on Bees
Along with habitat loss, pesticide use must be addressed in order to reverse the decline of
pollinators. Recent pesticide technology has moved agriculture away from the protective
framework offered by Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and toward a prophylactic system of
pest control where insecticides are applied pre-emptively, whether or not pest outbreaks occur.
This trend toward increasing pesticide use is coupled with a now widespread class of
insecticides (neonicotinoids) that are extremely toxic to pollinators, long-lived in the
environment, and highly mobile in ecosystems.
By supporting the pesticide work of the Xerces Society, funders can make reduced-risk pesticide
training available to farmer and farm-agency audiences (including workshops, the development
of model IPM plans, and guidance on science-based non-chemical pest control strategies such
as conservation biological control). This work is supplemented by advocacy that seeks to
address regulatory gaps in pesticide use and registration, and works to hold agencies such as
the EPA accountable to the law. Xerces pesticide reduction work has already protected millions
of acres from unnecessary spraying and has influenced farmers and farm advisors in the U.S.,
Europe, and Asia.