Colorado expands conservation efforts to include invertebrates and rare plants

Last Friday, at the Butterfly Pavilion, Governor Polis signed a bill into law that expands the scope of Colorado’s conservation efforts. The new legislation, known as the Invertebrates & Rare Plants Parks & Wildlife Commission bill (HB24-1117), will add invertebrates and plants to the state’s conservation initiatives.

Pollinators like bees are essential for our food systems, pollinating one out of every three bites of food, and are crucial for maintaining healthy forests and biodiversity. However, these vital species are facing significant threats from climate change, pesticide use, and habitat loss. For example, the western bumblebee populations declined 72% in Colorado’s Southern Rocky Mountain region over the last decade.

The law mandates the inclusion of imperiled or potentially imperiled plants in the species conservation trust fund. It also requires funding for a study on invertebrates, further underlining the state’s commitment to protecting pollinators and other critical species.

Colorado is taking decisive action to safeguard everything from bighorn sheep to the western bumble bee to the federally endangered clay-loving wild buckwheat. With the new law we will be able to study and support entire ecosystems. This initiative reflects a growing recognition that in nature, everything is interconnected.