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No one works
harder than the mighty bee. Made up of nearly 20,000 distinct
species, the global bee population makes up a huge percentage
of pollinators who are responsible for supporting the
reproduction of almost 90% of all flowering plants, and nearly
70% of crops. That's why the global bee decline in
recent decades is so concerning — experts estimate that as
much as 25% of bee species have disappeared since the
1990s! Human development like urbanization and
industrial farming are responsible for a ton of lost plant and
animal life — degradation of habitats, loss of food sources,
and proximity to humans and industry, pesticides, and
pollution have taken a huge toll on
biodiversity.
But for bees and other
pollinators, at least, we have ways to make our human-dominated
environments much more hospitable. The
Netherlands, for example, just performed a bee census in many
of its cities after extensive conservation work, and the
findings were encouraging: year over year, bee
populations have remained steady in urban areas! This
is the result of storybook-sounding initiatives — 'bee
hotels,' which are hollow logs and stems that are set up as
the perfect nesting spot; 'bee stops,' or bus stops covered
with native plants for bees to feast on; and the Honey Highway
initiative, which is turning underused spaces like those next
to roads and railways into fields of bee-sustaining
wildflowers.
There's a reason the Netherlands
has been taking bee conservation so seriously. Pollinators are
responsible for facilitating reproduction of many of the
world's crops, and the Netherlands is the second largest
global exporter of agricultural goods. As the number one
exporter, the United States must also get serious about
keeping urban bee populations diverse, healthy, and around for
the long term. Sign the petition if you want to see Los
Angeles, Chicago, and New York City create bee supporting
initiatives like bee hotels, bee stops, and honey
highways!
Thank you,
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Lauren
The Care2 Petitions Team
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P.S. The
Netherlands is finding ways to make urban landscapes more
hospitable for declining bee populations. Sign the petition asking the U.S. to do the
same! |
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