White House releases National Pollinator Strategy

Horticulture industry groups are generally supportive of the strategy, with a few reservations.


Published May 21, 2015

Last June, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum directing an interagency Task Force to create a Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.

Under the leadership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Task Force is releasing its Strategy, with three overarching goals:

  1. Reduce honey bee colony losses to economically sustainable levels;
  2. Increase monarch butterfly numbers to protect the annual migration; and
  3. Restore or enhance millions of acres of land for pollinators through combined public and private action.
The strategy released Tuesday and its accompanying science-based Pollinator Research Action Plan outline needs and priority actions to better understand pollinator losses and improve pollinator health. These actions will be supported by coordination of existing federal research efforts and accompanied by a request to Congress for additional resources to respond to the pollinator losses that are being experienced.
 
Increasing the quantity and quality of habitat for pollinators is a major part of this effort—with actions ranging from the construction of pollinator gardens at federal buildings to the restoration of millions of acres of federally managed lands and similar actions on private lands. To support these habitat-focused efforts, USDA and the Department of Interior issued a set of Pollinator-Friendly Best Management Practices for Federal Lands, providing practical guidance for planners and managers with land stewardship responsibilities.
 
The President has emphasized the need for an “all hands on deck” approach to promoting pollinator health, including engagement of citizens and communities and the forging of public-private partnerships. To foster collaboration, the interagency Pollinator Health Task Force will work toward developing a Partnership Action Plan that guides coordination with the many state, local, industry, and citizen groups with interests in and capacities to help tackle the challenge facing pollinators.
 

AmericanHort, Society of American Florists, American Floral Endowment, and Horticultural Research Institute issued a joint statement supporting the national strategy. The associations state that while they are studying the details, the overall approach appears balanced and mostly sensible.

"The national strategy’s overarching goals dovetail well with the focus of the ongoing Horticultural Industry Bee and Pollinator Stewardship Program," the statement reads. "Under that initiative, we have directly funded several priority research projects, and collaborated on additional research funded by others, to provide critical scientifically sound guidance for professional horticulturists. We are developing a grower stewardship program based on best practices for protecting pollinators while managing pests. Finally, we are establishing partnerships with other agricultural, conservation, restoration, beekeeper and honey producer groups to advance the goals of improved pollinator habitat and forage."

The associations also tout the role of horticulture in providing the improved habitat and forage that are at the heart of the national strategy. Many components of the strategy target large-scale habitat restoration and federal lands.

"In these areas, the best way to support honey bees and other pollinators is to plant healthy and site-appropriate pollinator-friendly plants," the statement reads. "Professional growers of tree, plants, and flowers provide the very thing pollinators need to thrive: diverse and ample sources of forage."

The horticulture associations expressed some reservations with the national strategy on the topics of native plant exclusivity and public/private sector competition.

"With respect to activities of the Department of Interior and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, as demand increases for pollinator-friendly seeds and plants we strongly urge close collaboration with the private sector to meet growing demand," the statement reads. "Expanded government competition with the private sector is not the answer. The strategy itself (not including the appendices) uses the term “native” in the context of plants and vegetation more than 60 times. In many planting situations, like large-scale restorations, native plants may be the logical choice. In others, like managed landscapes or remediations, all site-appropriate, non-invasive pollinator-friendly plants should be embraced."

The associations applauded the strategy's calls for major commitments to research and public-private partnerships, and reiterated their support for the President’s proposed budget for expanded research conducted or funded by USDA agencies including the Agricultural Research Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture. The associations were also pleased to acknowledge the clearly stated commitment to following the science, in regards to the EPA's pollinator protection plan.

"Emotional campaigns based on anecdotes and a few flawed studies are not a solid foundation for public policy," the release states.

Bayer CropScience also issued a statement commending the strategy's call for extensive new research into all aspects of pollinator health and the unprecedented commitment to increase pollinator habitat and forage.
Langer
"This strategy is a strong statement in favor of a balanced and multi-faceted approach to improving pollinator health," said Dr. Becky Langer, head of Bayer CropScience's North American Bee Care Program. "While bee populations are not declining, they face many complex challenges, some of which we're only just beginning to fully understand. Improving honey bee health will take a concerted effort from all stakeholders, including the public, and this strategy will help provide a framework for our collective response."

RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) also voiced its support for the goals contained in the national strategy. The national association represents the manufacturers, formulators, distributors and other industry leaders involved with pesticides.

“The pollinator issue is very complex and the White House strategy presents what can be a very effective multi-agency, stakeholder, and state-involved process to improve the health of pollinators in a science-based and measurable way,” said Aaron Hobbs, RISE president. "We are reviewing the strategy to learn how and where our members’ products will be engaged and impacted, and how U.S. EPA will be assessing insecticides and other pesticides used in essential public health and safety applications in our communities."

  • Read the National Strategy to Promote Pollinator Health HERE
  • Read the Pollinator Research Action Plan HERE
  • Read Pollinator-Friendly Best Management Practices for Federal Lands HERE
  • Access Appendices to the National Strategy HERE

 

Source: Office of Science and Technology Policy.

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