Pollinators and Agricultural Security
On April 9, 2008, Xerces Society staff worked with Senators Barbara Boxer, Robert Casey and Susan Collins to organize a briefing to the Legislature:
Pollinators and Agricultural Security: An Update on Research, Conservation and Legislative Opportunities
In the fall of 2006 the National Research Council published the report “Status of Pollinators in North America” which highlighted troubling declines in managed and native pollinators and a serious void in our scientific understanding of their populations. Around that same time, a devastating phenomenon termed Colony Collapse Disorder emerged, wiping out an estimated ΒΌ of managed U.S. honeybee colonies. Given the vital role that pollinators play in the production of most fruit, vegetable, animal feed, and seed crops, their continued decline will have a significant impact on our agricultural, economic, and natural systems.
A panel of expert stakeholders discussed pollinators and agricultural security. Scientists, researchers, beekeepers, conservationists and farmers discussed their work, the far reaching implications of continued declines in pollinator populations, and what we can do now to avert a potential crisis.
Panelists:
May R. Berenbaum, Chair, National Academy of Sciences Committee on the Status of North American Pollinators
Jeff Pettis, Research Leader, USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratories
Zac Browning, President, American Beekeeping Federation
Richard Adee, Board Member, American Honey Producers Association
Doug Holy, National Invasive Species Specialist, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Mace Vaughan, Conservation Director, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Ernie Shea, Coordinator, Native Pollinators in Agriculture Work Group
Tom Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Rep, Pollinator Partnership
Moderated By:
Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation