What’s the buzz on campus?

At the University of Michigan, pollinator conservation and habitat restoration is a main focus when it comes to achieving overall campus sustainability. With the help of university staff, students, the local Ann Arbor community, and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the University of Michigan is on it’s way to becoming one of the many academic institutions certified in successful pollinator sustainability and conservation efforts.

Photo Credit: Beth Weiler

why should we care about pollinator conservation and why does it matter?

In 2007, the ongoing honeybee colony collapse disorder first gained widespread media attention when honey bee colonies began to disappear at alarming rates. While this collapse brought global, wide-spread attention to the issue of consistent loss of pollinating insect species, honey bee populations across the United States today are still dropping at a rate of 44% or higher annually. Thousands of other native bee species are also on the decline, and in some cases, have gone extinct. Pollinator species around the world are suffering from rapid population loss due to pesticide use, habitat destruction, climate change, and introduced environmental disease. Fortunately, there are many things we can do as individuals and as a community to help restore and conserve pollinator habitats and the species that thrive within them. The photo on the left, courtesy of The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, shows us some of the many reasons we should fight for the health of our local pollinators.

The ecological service pollinators provide is essential for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, which also includes more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Photo Credit: Beth Weiler)

1 in every 3 bites of food we consume every day is courtesy of insect pollination (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Photo Credit: Beth Weiler)

Roughly 90% of all wild plants and trees rely on pollinators for the success and the survival of their species (Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Photo Credit: Beth Weiler)

Let’s make a difference!

The conservation and restoration of pollinators and their habitats is crucial now more than ever to preserve all life on Earth. We can all make a difference by taking action, staying informed, sharing knowledge, and working together to create sustainable environments that allow pollinators to grow, flourish, and thrive.

Photo Credit: Beth Weiler