Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the abundance
and variety of life in a region
Many of KCC’s affiliates and allies are deeply invested in protecting biodiversity as a unique natural resource. Biodiversity provides the platform for human life: crops, wood, textiles, medicines and animals.
Threats to biodiversity include: habitat loss, invasive species, deforestation, overharvesting, climate change, and pollution.
Why is the loss of biodiversity continuing? Demand for resources, population growth, lack of political will.
Is biodiversity a priority in Kentucky? Grassroots efforts are raising awareness, combating deforestation, for instance, by organizing public opposition. State agencies are asking for legislation but need citizen advocacy to energize lawmakers.
Native Ecosystems
The Value of Native Plants
Many native species of plants can be hosts for pollinators, with their eggs or food for their young. An example would be a butterfly, such as the close relationship between monarchs and milkweed
Planting these alternatives to the big box mass-produced flowers saves energy (in growing, fertilizing, administering pesticide treatments, transporting and marketing throw-away annuals); and reduces non-recyclable packaging (because they are perennial); and provides pollinators, bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects with the habitat plants they require. These species in turn support the songbirds we like to see in our backyards.
Many garden groups are now advocating native plants and that they are becoming increasingly available in retail shops, and are known for their resilience and beauty, (albeit not generally as familiar as the exotic specimens that have been introduced, often with terrible consequences). Exotic invasive species such as bush honeysuckle or the Asian pear trees cost many millions of dollars yearly to eradicate.
You can learn more about native plants by contacting the Kentucky Native Plant Society.
Helpful Links on Roadside Vegetation:
Penn State Research on Roadside Vegetation
Kentucky’s exotic invasive plant list:
Pollinator Programs
According to information from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. KCC has been a part of the review of this Kentucky plan to provide additional protection for Kentucky’s pollinators. For a link to the state’s pollinator plan, click here!
Kentucky also has a plan specifically directed toward Monarch conservation. Monarchs are particularly vulnerable since their survival is based on an ample supply of milkweed. You may find USDA Fish & Wildlife Monarch Conservation Plan here!
And you may find the state’s Monarch Conservation Plan here.
As part of KCC’s work relating to land conservation and biodiversity, we acknowledge the important role that pollinators play in the health of our statewide ecosystem.
During the 2015 legislative session there were bills that would be considered “pollinator-friendly” legislation, including HB155 exempting sales and use tax for bees used in certain commercial enterprises, and SB143 that includes bees within the agricultural definition of “livestock.” Neither bill passed in 2015.
Kentucky has seen an uptick in turning eastern mountain lands impacted by mining into habitat for native pollinators. The Xerces Society has resources on pollinators in the southeast, which can be found HERE.
Birds in Kentucky
Over 350 species of birds have been documented in Kentucky. Of these, approximately 150 species breed in the state, with the remainder being winter residents or transients that just pass through the state during migration. Kentucky sits within four bird conservation regions. Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) are ecologically distinct regions in North America with similar bird communities, habitats, and resource management issues.
Links to Joint Ventures that include Kentucky:
Links to National Conservation Plans:
Kentucky Birding Information and Helpful Weblinks:
National Birding Information and Helpful Weblinks:
KCC Papers and Handouts
Are Solar Farms Compatible with Biodiversity?
Kentucky pollinator advocates integrate their work with solar farms
Kentucky is suddenly seeing an influx of large-scale merchant solar companies who want to build in the state. Some of these companies have taken steps to find ways to make their installations more compatible with the local environment.
Some states like Ohio have developed a “Solar Site Pollinator Habitat Planning and Assessment” tool to rate the integration of solar developments with pollinator goals. This assessment tool was developed by the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative which is a joint effort between the Ohio Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, US Fish & Wildlife, Ohio Dept. of Transportation and nonprofits.
These initiatives to integrate solar development with agriculture, pollinator habitat, and best management practices are becoming known as “Regenerative Energy,” “Agrophotovoltaics” or “Dual-Use Farming” initiatives. As this industry develops, we encourage companies to work with pollinator advocates in Kentucky to develop suitable “best practices.”
See example, Virginia’s “Pollinator Smart program.
