AUTHORS: Catherine O'Reilly, University of Illinois Chicago
ABSTRACT: Pollinator species have seen sharp population declines throughout this century, which has severe ramifications for ecosystem stability. Finding creative solutions to restore pollinator habitat is vital to preserving both pollinators and ecosystems, and this requires developing landscape-scale conservation initiatives for pollinators that involve non-traditional conservation landscapes and partners.
One method for engaging non-traditional stakeholders in pollinator conservation is through Section 10 Conservation Benefit Agreements (CBAs). These agreements, established under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act, are voluntary conservation agreements between non-federal landowners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in which participating organizations agree to provide a net conservation benefit to targeted species in exchange for assurances that additional or management activities for these species will not be required. This encourages pollinator conservation from non-traditional conservation partners by offering operational flexibility and regulatory certainty to participants while establishing clear standards for what conservation actions are required to achieve a net conservation benefit for the targeted species.
A Section 10 agreement that promotes pollinator conservation on non-traditional conservation landscapes is the Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for Monarch Butterfly (the Monarch CCAA). The Monarch CCAA is a Section 10 agreement between the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and energy and transportation companies that is designed to create habitat for monarchs on energy and transportation rights-of-way. A similar agreement has been developed by UIC and partners which focuses on at-risk bumble bee species, building upon the conservation success of the CCAA.
I will present on how CBAs encourage landscape-scale conservation efforts from non-traditional partners by offering flexibility and assurances in exchange for conservation actions, and what motivates the creation of a CBA. Brief updates on the Monarch CCAA and bumble bee agreement will be shared to exemplify how Section 10 agreements work in practice.
