New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation
Effective Date: January 01, 2020
New York Native Pollinator Initiative
Purpose:
Mitigating the effects of not only pollinator habitat loss, but also non-native species competition to support a thriving micro-agricultural sector in urban ecosystems
Scope:
All new building developments in New York urban environments (starting 2020 and beyond)
Responsible Party:
New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation
POLICY
- Policy Statement
New York has a growing micro-agricultural presence. That growth demands the support of pollinators (the insects that complete the vital process of fertilization for countless species of plants and crops). Prior to this policy, urban buildings have been installing domesticated beehives on roofs as a measure to save the declining honeybee population. While this does mitigate some of the threat faced by pollinators, it also introduces an often non-native species to an environment which then creates competition for resources. Beehives house honeybees which represent a small portion of the animals and insects which carry out the process of plant fertilization.
To solve this issue, it is imperative that New York manage the pollinator population in the following ways:
- For every domesticated beehive implemented, a garden of scale must be planted with native pollinator-friendly species
- Any disruption of a naturalized plot of land in an urban environment for the sake of development must include a garden of scale in the final project
The scale of the garden should be at least .01% of the square footage of a plot of land.
This policy does not affect existing structures unless they implement new domesticated beehives.
