Rebecca Rotenberg, Sam Canick, Philip Konrad-Parisi, Asope Kuyinu, and Kevin Xu
Pollinators like bees are vital for the reproduction of flowering plants, which most of our food relies on. Unfortunately, a downward trend in bee populations, both in Pennsylvania and the entire United States, has been ongoing for decades. In the 1980s, two new parasitic mites were responsible for the start of the decline of honey bee populations. These mites were not a naturally occurring problem; however, they were artificially introduced from overseas. Meanwhile, rising temperatures due to climate change have provided these parasites with longer foraging seasons, and improper beekeeping practices have allowed outbreaks to fester and spread to native bees.
Human activity has been responsible for a number of other threats to bee populations: widespread pesticide usage both kills bees and kills off the flowers they rely on, while bees lose their habitats to development and climate change. Even as this decline worsens, there are interventions that can take place at a local level with the potential to improve the situation.
This map is part of the Carnegie Mellon University exhibition and interactive session organised by Luis Garcia, Structured Systems Mapping: Cultivating a practice of critical reflection and collaborative exploration.
Access the folder of full-resolution maps.
