Conservation Efforts

Current Listed Endangerment Status: critically endangered

1. Listed as endangered in Canada in 2010

2. Listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2015

3. Listed as endangered in the United States in 2017

In recent years, bees have become an ambassador species of environmental movements and because of this, there has been a heightened advocacy for conservation efforts. Organizations exist across all levels (local, regional, national, and international) with the goal of conserving species such as B. affinis and the areas in which they live. These conservation efforts include restoration of habitat, breeding and reintroduction programs, and research studies.

Federal Conservation Efforts

1. In 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published an official Species Recovery Plan for conservation and management of Bombus affinis in the United States. This plan highlights the severity of declines over the past century and proposes a national strategy to restore and manage rusty patched bumble bee populations.

2. In 1985, the U.S. Department of Agriculture developed a Conservation Reserves Program which is now one of the largest private-lands conservation programs in the United States. This program supports conservation of bees by providing financial incentives to farmers who agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.

3. In 2022, the U.S. Government Services Administration established a Pollinator Protection Initiative along with an inter-agency Pollinator Health Task Force to oversee it. This initiative involved the placement of beehives in 11 locations across the country.

Fig 1. Map shows locations of beehives places at GSA properties during the pilot year of the Pollinator Protection Initiative. Map via the U.S. GSA.

Local Conservation Efforts

Many organizations work to support conservation of rusty patched bumble bees and other pollinators.

1. Non-profit organizations such as The Bee Conservancy and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation partner with communities and local institutions to raise awareness and enact change.

2. Many state governments have developed programs to support healthy bee populations. In 2013, departments in Ohio such as ODOT and ODNR partnered with local conservation organizations to launch their Pollinator Habitat Program. This programs supports bee conservation by planting native, perennial wildflowers along the sides of roadways.

3. Citizen science projects are also a growing method to support conservation efforts. In 2019, residents of Cincinnati, Ohio founded the Queen City Pollinator Project. This organization offers science-based educational programs, provides a multitude of volunteering options, and collaborates with local organizations and parks to achieve their conservation goals.

Fig 1. Collaboration between Queen City Pollinator Project and the Cincinnati Art Museum led to the building of bee gardens throughout museum property. These areas act as a place of refuge for bees in urban environments. Image via Movers and Makers Cincinnati.

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Conservation Challenges and Obstacles

Conservationists face a wide array of obstacles which in many cases, may unfortunately limit the effectiveness of conservation efforts. There is an lack of adequate funding and an overall lack in public and institutional support for conservation efforts. Large portions of B. affinis native range has been lost due to land development for agriculture and urbanization, and the economic benefits of these developments often overshadow their ecological consequences. Additionally, conservation efforts have historically focused on "charismatic" species and there has been a disproportionate level of concern towards conservation of many non-mammal species, especially insects. In modern times, more and more people are recognizing the severity of ecological threats and there is an apparent shift in advocacy for conservation that we will hopefully continue to observe. Maintaining balanced ecology is vital to environmental health, human health, and provides a variety of ecological services from which we can all benefit. It is inarguably important that we continue to increase support and funding for conservation efforts.