Development is rapidly consuming land in North America. The group MonarchWatch estimates that 6,000 acres of rural land are developed every day in North America. A 2007 study by Jeffrey Milder predicts that 18 million hectares of land will be developed in the United States alone during the next 25 years – an amount of territory equivalent in size to New England. As development rapidly obliterates or fragments natural areas, wildlife disappears at an alarming rate. Urbanization has been implicated in the decline of nearly half the species listed as endangered or threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (Miller and Hobbs 2002).
Development Threatens Honeybees, Food Supply
The consequences of development threaten not only wildlife, but human food consumption. According to Seth Borenstein of the Washington Post, about one-third of our food supply, comprising 800 different types of cultivated plants, depends on insect pollination. Honeybees alone pollinate 90% of our most important flowering crops, from apples to almonds to squash (The Washington Post, “Honeybee Die-Off Threatens Food Supply” May 2, 2007). Even cattle depend on honeybees to pollinate alfalfa, a primary source of food.
Although Colony Collapse Disorder has taken a significant toll on domesticated bees in recent months, wild honeybees have suffered even more devastating losses, with up to 90% dying off during the 1990’s (McInnis 1997). Honeybees are simply running out of natural areas where they can build hives. Butterflies, another important pollinator, have suffered from widespread pesticide use and the disappearance of host plants critical for their life cycle.
How Conservation Groups Involve Citizens
Conservation organizations have recognized the importance of encouraging urban and suburban residents to become active participants in habitat preservation and restoration. For example, the National Wildlife Federation offers a program whereby homeowners who meet certain requirements, such as providing cover and water for local wildlife, can certify their properties as Certified Wildlife Habitats. In September, 2007, celebrity Martha Stewart became the 80,000th person to achieve the NWF’s certification (National Wildlife Federation 2007). MonarchWatch offers certification to homeowners who create waystations for migrating monarch butterflies (Pleasant 2007).
How Homeowners can Help Wildlife
There are significant steps homeowners and even apartment dwellers can take to offer a helping hand to pollinators and other wildlife:
1) Grow native species of plants. Imported cultivars like roses offer no benefit to bees, butterflies and other animals. Consult local botanical gardens, conservation groups, state/provincial wildlife associations or nurseries for suggestions of native species.
2) Grow host plants for butterflies, such as milkweed – a critical plant for monarch butterflies.
3) Set aside a part of your yard and allow it to “grow wild”. Consider leaving bushes or fallen logs as refuges for wildlife.
4) Provide a permanent source of water to help frogs, butterflies, bees and a variety of species. This can be as simple as partially burying a bowl in the ground and filling it with water on a regular basis.
Sources
Borenstein, Seth. Honeybee Die-off Threatens Food Supply. The Washington Post: May 2, 2007.
McGinnis, Doug. The plight of the bumblebee: with bees and other pollinators disappearing at an alarming rate, our fruits and vegetables may be in jeopardy. Popular Science 251(5), 1997: 78-83.
Milder, Jeffrey. A Framework for Understanding Conservation Development and Its Ecological Implications. BioScience 57(9), 2007:757-768.
Miller, James and Hobbs, Richard. Conservation Where People Live and Work. Conservation Biology 16(2), 2002:330-337.
National Wildlife Federation Habitat Program Still Growing Strong. National Wildlife 45(5), 2007.
Pleasant, Barbara. Relief for Weary Monarchs. Mother Earth News April/May 2007:24.
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