Title of the symposium:
Challenge and opportunity in the creation of bee landscapes
Detail of organizer(s):
Responsible
| Name: | Sabine |
| Surname: | van Rooij |
| sabine.vanrooij@wur.nl | |
| Organisation/Affiliation: | Wageningen Environmental Research |
| Telephone: | +31 317 486 021 |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Address: | Postbus 47 6700AA, WAGENINGEN |
Co-organizer(s)
Co-organizer
| Name: | Eveliene |
| Surname: | Steingrover |
| Email: | eveliene.steingrover@wur.nl |
| Organisation/Affiliation: | Wageningen Environmental Research |
| Address: | Postbus 47 6700AA, WAGENINGEN |
| Country: | Netherlands |
Co-organizer
| Name: | Arjen |
| Surname: | de Groot |
| Email: | g.a.degroot@wur.nl |
| Organisation/Affiliation: | Wageningen Environmental Research |
| Address: | Postbus 47 6700AA, WAGENINGEN |
| Country: | Netherlands |
Co-organizer
| Name: | Lawrence |
| Surname: | Jones-Walters |
| Email: | lawrence.jones-walters@wur.nl |
| Organisation/Affiliation: | Wageningen Environmental Research |
| Address: | Postbus 47 6700AA, WAGENINGEN |
| Country: | Netherlands |
Symposium abstract
It is highly relevant and timely for us to convene and organise a workshop on ‘Bee Landscapes’ as part of the forthcoming 10th IALE World Congress in Milano, Italy, 2019. Particularly in relation to the theme of the congress which is: Nature and society facing the Anthropocene challenges and perspectives for landscape ecology. This proposal is put forward by Wageningen Environmental Research (who have been commissioned by the Dutch ministry for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality – Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit to act as a knowledge partner for the Dutch National Bee strategy).
The issue of pollination has risen to the top of the environmental policy agenda and has attracted the attention of the world’s press and media and the relevance of bee landscapes has increased in relation to the publication of the IPBES ‘Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production’. The decline in pollinating insects is partly a result of our unsustainable exploitation of the natural world and threatens the food security of billions of people, leading scientists to believe that destruction of nature is at least as dangerous as climate change. The economic damage caused by crop failure is a further and sometimes more immediate reason for politicians and policymakers, together with agri-business and industry to turn their attention to this problem. Diverse initiatives ranging from detailed research on individual pollinator species, the creation of pollinator habitat, development of citizen science to monitor pollination in the development of general and specific policy and practice have emerged across all of the major continents.
How your symposia will improve landscape ecology science?
Issues of specific relevance to nature and society are: 1) establishing cost-effective methods for creating sustainable habitat for pollinators within agricultural ecosystems and (public) green infrastructure; 2) developing a sufficiently incentivised fiscal (policy and funding) framework to realise bee landscapes at regional level; 3) engaging key stakeholders and the interested public in the creation and long-term establishment of bee landscapes.
Broad thematic areas
Broad thematic areas 1st choice: Landscape ecosystem functions and services
Broad thematic areas 2nd choice: Ecosystem services
