World Bee Day
Cover Photo: Perplexing Bumble Bee (Bombus perplexus) on Common Gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata) - photo taken in Calgary, 2023
“Wild bee species are key not only to the sexual reproduction of hundreds of thousands of wild plant species but also to the yield of about 85% of
all cultivated crops.” (Zattara & Aizen, 2021)
Global populations of insects (including bees) have been declining drastically over the past couple of decades. Native bees in Canada are also declining throughout the country. There are nine bees currently listed on the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA) registry(2). Four of these occur in Alberta:
Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus bohemicus) Endangered (last assessed in 2014)
Suckley’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus suckleyi) Threatened (2019) (on the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) list, but not on SARA Schedule 1)
Western Bumble Bee (Bombus occidentalis occidentalis) Threatened (2014)
Yellow-banded Bumble Bee (Bombus terricola) Special Concern (2015)
However, there are currently 28 bees on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (3) that exist in Alberta, with the following risk categories:
By contrast, the IUCN Red List shows Bombus suckleyi as Critically Endangered (CR), but Canada does not list it on SARA. Alternatively, the Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee/Ashton’s Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus bohemicus) is listed as Endangered in Canada, but Data Deficient (DD) by the IUCN (with a decreasing population trend); although both organisations show a last assessment as being undertaken a decade ago, in 2014. The Western Bumble Bee (Bombus occidentalis) is listed as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN, but does not differentiate the subspecies like SARA. One of the subspecies is Bombus occidentalis mckayi, and it occurs in British Columbia, Yukon, and Northwest Territories, and is listed as Special Concern. Bombus occidentalis occidentalis, which occurs in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, is listed as Threatened. Finally, Bombus terricola (Yellow-banded Bumble Bee) is also listed as VU by the IUCN, and only Special Concern by SARA.
Notably the most recent Alberta Species at Risk listing of wild species (2020) does not have a single insect listed (4). That means the province does not afford protection for these Bumble Bee species, except under the federal Species at Risk Act, and where the provincial government deems they are required to comply.
One can assume the province is either not assessing these bees, or does not consider them (or any insects) worthy of analysis. The federal government of Canada’s vision is a little broader, and as such has listed three out of the four species on Schedule 1 of the registry. However, the IUCN is looking more widely at global populations and overall population trends, and therefore has a more fulsome picture of the species as a whole.
Does Canada need to consider global populations of species at risk in their regional assessments? Should the provinces and territories also be taking stock of Canada-wide assessments for protecting species within their borders? Under the precautionary principle I would say yes.
We should be asking more of our governments to ensure the protection of biodiversity.
Zattara, E.E., Aizen, M.A. (2021) Worldwide occurrence records suggest a global decline in bee species richness, One Earth, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 114-123, ISSN 2590-3322, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.12.005.
SARA registry accessed May 18, 2024.
IUCN Red List accessed May 18, 2024.
https://www.alberta.ca/lookup/wild-species-status-search.aspx
