Native Plant Conservation News: More examples of the importance of native plant societies in ecosystem management!
December 21, 2016
Two recent news items from the world of pollinator conservation remind us that even the best intentioned habitat improvement projects can have adverse consequences – if they are designed without adequate botanical input and oversight.
Interest in enhancing habitat for pollinators has skyrocketed. Land managers throughout the U.S. have launched numerous projects to use plants to support pollinators. Unfortunately, these projects have not always used locally appropriate native plant species. Some have even released weeds and other damaging species into the wild.
On example is described in a December
article in Science Daily. The story reported that noxious weeds have been distributed in seed mixes meant to encourage pollinators in the Midwest. In particular, the University of Illinois found Palmer Amaranth seed in “pollinator friendly” seed mixes sold to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pollinator Habitat Initiative and Conservation Reserve Program.
Palmer Amaranth is “potentially devastating” to agriculture, as infestations can be difficult or impossible to eradicate. Some varieties have acquired multiple herbicide resistances from genetically modified crops, making them even tougher to control. There are reports that some farmers have turned to dangerous illegal herbicides to fight the weed.
Botanists are working with federal agencies to remove bad seeds and improve oversight of the seed mixes.
In another example, since the decline of the Monarch butterfly began, a near frenzy of habitat improvement has emerged. Many efforts to plant Milkweed and other species to augment the Monarch’s food supply and habitat are underway throughout its range.
Unfortunately, in eagerness to aid the butterfly, seed selection was sometimes less than careful. As a result, seed mixes for Monarchs have included host and nectar plant varieties that were not native to the local areas where they are planted and/or may not even provide adequate food for the butterflies.
These experiences remind us once again that native plant groups are invaluable resources for effective land and ecosystem management.
Plant groups can play a critical role in identifying locally appropriate native plants for habitat restoration and rehabilitation. We can also help managers to avoid spreading invasive exotic or otherwise damaging plants.
Native plant groups are unequalled storehouses of experience and expertise on how to identify, purchase, and propagate locally appropriate natives that will not damage plant communities, gardens, crops or wildlife.
