Have we gone wrong in our efforts to save the bees? York University Professor Sheila Colla will explore this question in talk as part of the 2019-20 Sustainability Seminar Series.
“A Bee New Deal: Moving past socio-cultural challenges in pollinator conservation” will take place on Nov. 28 from 12 to 1 p.m. in Room 140, HNES Building, Keele Campus. Colla’s presentation is the third instalment in the series.
Sheila Colla
Pollinator declines have become one of the most ubiquitous environmental problems discussed among policy-makers, ENGOs and the public over the past decade. As such, resource-intensive programs and policies have been developed to “save the bees.”
However, these initiatives often focus on specific narratives influenced by industries which does not always align with the science. They also do not consider other knowledge systems nor do they use a social justice framework. Colla will talk about where we’ve gone wrong in our attempts to save bees despite intense political and public will, and explain how we can move forward to conserve them and the ecosystem services they provide.
The Sustainability Seminar Series was launched in October 2018 by York University’s President’s Sustainability Council, an advisory body to the president, responsible for providing input and recommendations on how to advance the University’s sustainability initiatives, projects and practices. For more information about the seminar series, visit sustainability.info.yorku.ca/sustainability-seminar-series.