Bees Left Behind: Are California's 30 x 30 Protected Areas Missing the Mark?
Allyson Bernarte, Phuong Ly, Marcelina Lobato, Oleander Nielsen, Najeeba Shaikh, Jessica Davidson
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Gretchen LeBuhn
California’s 30×30 initiative aims to protect 30% of the state’s land by 2030 to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, conservation planning has historically relied on plants and vertebrates as indicators of biodiversity, often overlooking pollinators such as native bees. In this study, we evaluate whether current protected areas adequately represent bee biodiversity across California, with a focus on species richness and rarity. Using spatially aggregated bee occurrence data, we compare the number of bee species found in protected versus unprotected sites and assess the proportion of sites currently conserved. We also identify those species that are underprotected, providing guidance for future conservation efforts. This work aims to determine whether rare and diverse bee communities are effectively protected and to highlight potential gaps in California’s 30×30 conservation strategy.