[Pollinator] New California Pollinator Coalition pledges to increase pollinator habitat on working lands

[Anthony Colangelo]

*Diverse Group of Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resource
Organizations Comes Together to Protect California’s Pollinators*



*New California Pollinator Coalition pledges to increase pollinator habitat
on working lands*



SACRAMENTO, Calif. Apr. 7, 2021 – A broad array of organizations from
across California’s agricultural and environmental landscape announced a
working coalition to address their shared commitment to the health of wild
and managed pollinators. The Coalition is focusing on increasing the value
working lands provide to our environment, to benefit biodiversity and
farmers alike.


The California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership,
the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Almond Board of
California, includes more than twenty organizations – representing the
large majority of California’s crop and range land – pledging to increase
habitat for pollinators on working lands. Together, the goal is to increase
collaboration between agriculture and conservation groups for the benefit
of biodiversity and food production. The result will be on-the-ground
improvements, technical guidance, funded research, documentation of
relevant case studies, and tracked progress toward increasing healthier
pollinator habitats.



Achieving this bee friendly goal is laden with benefits for farmers and the
environment in California, increasing biodiversity and sequestering more
carbon in the soil. The Coalition also hopes their success will serve as a
model for even more collaboration among interests who have not always been
aligned, but who are willing to come together in partnership to confront
common challenges.



“What we are doing in California is acknowledging the urgency to address
the critical issue of protecting all pollinators, including native and
managed species,” said Laurie Davies Adams, President and CEO of Pollinator
Partnership. “Agriculture and conservation must work together to achieve
this goal, especially when we will be facing many of the same issues –
increasing temperatures, erratic and unpredictable weather, fires, drought,
soil depletion, and more. The outcome will not be a tidy report that sits
on a shelf, but rather a metric of acres, projects, and species added to
the landscape while agriculture continues to profitably feed the nation.”



The collective land represented by coalition members will provide the
critical mass to address habitat on an unprecedented scale, for the benefit
of beneficial insects, such as bees, butterflies, beetles, wasps, moths and
more.



California is home to more than 1,600 native bees and hundreds of other
species of pollinating insects. Globally, pollinators provide service to
more than 180,000 different plant species, more than 1,200 crops, and are
responsible for producing an estimated one out of every three bites of
food. They sustain our ecosystems and support natural resources, all while
adding $217 billion to the global economy each year. But pollinator
populations are declining and often suffer from the same challenges as
California’s agriculture.



The Coalition will work together on a variety of fronts to support
pollinators:



·        Preparing farmer-friendly guidance to build and maintain
pollinator habitat on farms and ranches

·        Promoting voluntary, incentive-based habitat establishment
projects and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices

·        Conducting research and disseminating relevant science

·        Monitoring outcomes (adoption rates and effectiveness of practices)



“Collaborative action can mitigate risks to California’s pollinators, and
that’s exactly why this coalition has come together,” said Karen Ross,
Secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture. “We need urgent
action, yet the first step in the process is building trust that
encourages, enables, and enhances the result. The California Pollinator
Coalition is a big step forward in a journey of grower and conservation
groups voluntarily demonstrating leadership.”



“This will not be an easy or quick fix,” said Josette Lewis, Chief
Scientific Officer of the Almond Board of California. “It will require a
robust and sustained effort, but we are determined to be part of the
solution. Almond growers and many other farmers depend on pollinators to
produce a crop and pollinators depend on us to provide safe habitat.
Working lands can and should be part of the solution.”



“Farm Bureau supports voluntary, farmer-friendly efforts to improve habitat
for native pollinators, and we have long advocated improved research on
pollinator health,” said Jamie Johansson, President of the California Farm
Bureau. “We will work with the coalition for the benefit of native
pollinators and managed bees, and to assure stability for the domestic bee
business.”



“Climate change will affect the wildlife of California and the way we grow
food in many ways,” said Dan Kaiser, director of conservation at
Environmental Defense Fund. “The best chance for biodiversity and farms to
thrive is to rebuild the natural infrastructure that supports pollinators,
soil health and water resilience throughout the Central Valley. This
coalition will promote robust research and guidance to support a more
resilient and biodiverse agricultural landscape.”



While just beginning its work, the Coalition is catalyzing new
collaborations and continuing to recruit partners who understand the
urgency and share the common goal of supporting both the health of
pollinators and agriculture. Current California Pollinator Coalition
membership includes:



·        Agricultural Council of California

·        Almond Alliance of California

·        Almond Board of California

·        California Alfalfa and Forage Association

·        California Association of Pest Control Advisers

·        California Association of Resource Conservation Districts

·        California Cattlemen’s Association

·        California Citrus Mutual

·        California Department of Food and Agriculture

·        California Farm Bureau Federation

·        California State Beekeepers Association

·        California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance

·        Environmental Defense Fund

·        Monarch Joint Venture

·        Monarch Watch

·        Pollinator Partnership

·        Project Apis m.

·        University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

·        USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of California

·        Western Growers

·        Dr. Neal Williams, University of California, Davis





*About the California Pollinator Coalition*

The California Pollinator Coalition, convened by Pollinator Partnership,
the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Almond Board of
California, is made up of a diverse group of agricultural and conservation
organizations with the shared goal of providing enhanced habitat for
pollinators. The Coalition and its members have pledged to increase habitat
for pollinators on working lands. Additionally, the group plans to promote
research and track its progress toward healthy and abundant habitats.
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