Wildlife Conservation

While we’ve had a long-standing connection to the Xerces Society in the U.S., the General Mills partnership with the French Observatory of Apidology (OFA) in Southern France has taken flight over the last couple years, with more than $200,000 in grants to the organization to help it make an impact across Europe.

People know how to protect themselves from disease, but what about bees? Varroa mites are one of the most significant threats to honey bee health today.

Illegal logging has some obvious effects, such as the destruction of forests and ecosystems, but it also results in economic and social effects that aren’t always apparent.

Managers in the De Beers Ecology division and staff at the Dronfield Nature Reserve offered the use of the reserve after hearing what happened to the bird.

The Xerces Society is on the forefront of protecting pollinators in the U.S. and we’re proud to partner with them. In this episode, you’ll hear about their mission from Eric Lee-Mäder, who co-directs the Xerces Society’s pollinator conservation program. And you’ll find out how you can help, too.

Peregrine falcons may not be on the endangered species list any more, but they’ve got special friends in Indiana. After three falcon chicks were born on a perch at Duke Energy’s Gallagher Station smoke stack B recently, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) retrieved them for banding and a naming ceremony.

More than 80 percent of the almonds sold worldwide are grown in California. The state also is home to one of the best examples that we know for creating habitat for honey bees and other native pollinators needed for bountiful almond production.

Small landowners are the unsung heroes of the U.S. forest industry. We often think of public forests as the key source of the U.S. wood supply, but in fact, that resource only amounts to about a quarter of the total acreage that is harvested for wood products in the U.S. The rest comprises stock supplied by landowners that have dedicated their acreages to maintaining U.S. forest growth and supply.

Congratulations to The Nature Conservancy, Marine Stewardship Council, Tri Marine, and the others involved in launching the Tuna 2020 Traceability Declaration. SCS has provided third party MSC assessments of fishery management and seafood traceability since 2000. As a Conformity Assessment Body that focuses on environmental and social certification, SCS will continue to be an active leader in the industry, supporting this commitment to rid oceans of illegal tuna fishing and forced labor. http://ow.ly/SV7630cxp9a

The online Diamond Route newsletter carries a host of stories that illustrate how the company’s specialists are conserving the areas around its mines and the animals that live there.