A first-of-its-kind study has measured the impact of NRCS conservation practices on pollinators, finding that the practices do help support pollinator populations, and offering insight into where those practices can be most effective.
Published last summer, the study resulted from collaboration between researchers at Virginia Tech, the Xerces Society, and USDA’s Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP).
The study found that over 50 NRCS conservation practices are likely to benefit pollinators, including eleven so-called “core and supporting” practices that are either specifically designed for pollinators or are commonly used to supplement pollinator resources.
“We know the loss of grasslands, shrublands, forests, and other seminatural habitat is a major driver of pollinator declines,” said Dr. Elissa Olimpi, a lead author on the study.
“No previous assessments have synthesized the nationwide impacts of NRCS pollinator conservation efforts, so we first worked with experts to identify and rank 51 practices that benefit pollinator habitat by increasing the availability of floral and nesting resources.”
The study’s next step was to measure the actual benefit to pollinators of the practices. The 51 practices identified in the first step account for 2.5% of the nation’s seminatural habitat and 3.9% of the national pollinator supply.
In other words, since the practices account for more of the pollinators than the habitat, says Dr. Olimpi, “an acre of seminatural habitat established using NRCS conservation practices generally provides more benefit for pollinators than an acre of average seminatural habitat established without NRCS involvement.”
“These data validate our confidence in the science behind our conservation efforts,” says Charlie Rewa, CEAP Wildlife Lead with NRCS. “Land managers who work with us receive one-on-one technical support customized to their unique conservation and production goals.”
“Put simply, pollinator-focused NRCS conservation practices are effective in doing what they’re intended to do and have measurable outcomes for pollinators nationwide.”
Lastly, the study used findings from the first two steps to identify where conservation resources could have the greatest impact going forward. It found that the “sweet spots” occur in areas with more than 1%, but less than 20%, seminatural habitat.
Areas with less than 1% seminatural habitat may already have such low pollinator numbers that boosting pollinator-supporting practices there would not greatly benefit pollinators. At the other end of the scale, areas with more than 20% seminatural vegetation may already have enough habitat and food resources to support adequate pollinator populations. Focusing on sites between those extremes maximizes the impact of the conservation practices.
Parts of Oklahoma are one of the particular regions identified that fall within this optimal range of seminatural habitat.
The full report is available here.
