[Pollinator] Translating science for conservation: bees benefit first

[Ladadams at aol.com]

>From University of Cambridge
Date: 10/09/10 
Translating science for conservation: bees benefit first
A project to make conservation science accessible and  relevant to 
conservationists and policymakers launches its first major synopsis  of evidence, on 
bee conservation.

 
For the first time, scientific  knowledge and experience about how to 
conserve wild bees around the world has  been brought together by conservation 
scientists led by Professor William J.  Sutherland and Dr Lynn Dicks at the 
University of Cambridge. 
The synopsis of evidence on bee  conservation is meant to inform people 
taking action or spending money to help  wild bees - anyone from farmers to 
international NGOs - about what works and  what doesn't. It is part of a 
project called _Conservation Evidence_ 
(http://www.conservationevidence.com/BrowseSynopses.aspx) , which  aims to make conservation practice more 
science-based. 
Bees are the most important  pollinators globally, and their decline has 
received much publicity. "There are  more than 25,000 species of bee 
worldwide," says Dr Simon G. Potts, an expert on  pollinator conservation from the 
University of Reading who advised on the  development of the bee synopsis. "In 
areas where good quality data are  available, severe declines in many 
species have been documented." In response,  governments and international 
organisations are now investing in pollinator  conservation. 
The bee synopsis, developed in  partnership with an international group of 
bee experts, lists 59 different  actions you could take to benefit wild 
bees. They range from providing nest  boxes or planting flowers to training 
beekeepers to keep native species. For  each intervention, evidence is 
summarised in plain English. 
In some cases, the evidence tells  a clear story. Leaving strips at the 
edge of crop fields untreated with  herbicides and pesticides does not help 
bumblebees, for example - two replicated  trials in the UK have found no more 
bees on these strips than in ordinary crop  fields. But there is evidence 
from many parts of the world that providing nest  boxes on agricultural land 
can benefit solitary bees. Twenty-nine studies show  that solitary bees, 
including endangered species, will use nest boxes and three  studies show numbers 
of nesting bees can double over three years with repeated  nest box 
provision. 
Bees can be problematic in places  where they are not native, and there is 
some evidence about how to reduce the  impacts of invasive bee species. A 
concerted effort to eradicate European  buff-tailed bumblebees from small 
patches of Japanese countryside, for example,  increased numbers of native 
bumblebees, but did not remove the invaders  altogether. 
"This synopsis is a great step  forward in providing a clear evidence base 
for anyone setting out to conserve  wild bees, from conservation agencies to 
individuals," says Professor Andrew  Bourke, a bumblebee expert from the 
University of East Anglia, UK, and member of  the Advisory Board for the bee 
synopsis. He was surprised by the often low  success rate of artificial nest 
boxes for bumblebees. "This work highlights how  much more there is to learn 
about bees," he says. 
As well as helping to inform  decisions about bee conservation, the 
synopsis shows where there are gaps in our  knowledge. There is no direct evidence 
to show whether increasing the amount of  natural habitat in farmed areas 
can help bees, for example, and very little  evidence for the effects of 
restricting pesticide use on bees, although  conservationists often advocate 
these actions. "Habitat preservation and the  proper application and use of 
insecticides are the most important issues in bee  conservation now," says Peter 
Kwapong, of the International Stingless Bee Centre  in Ghana, a member of 
the Advisory Board. Clearly, these are areas where  research should focus. 
The Conservation Evidence project  also has an open access journal where 
conservationists can document their  experience and an online database of 
evidence published elsewhere, relating to  conservation interventions. The 
series of synopses, of which Bee Conservation is  the first, will cover other 
major species groups, habitat types and issues.  Synopses are already being 
prepared for birds, butterflies, grassland and  farmland. 
"The bee synopsis brings  together, for the first time, a systematic 
overview of conservation practices  that can really help protect bees," says 
Potts. "The challenge now is for  policymakers to take up these actions." 
Photo  credit: David  Goulson 
_Cambridge Conservation  Initiative_ (http://www.conservation.cam.ac.uk/) 

Reproduced courtesy University of  Cambridge Office of Communications

See also:
Organisation:  _University  of Cambridge_ 
(http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/directory/orgprofile/default.aspx?objid=5796) 









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