Pollinators, food security and rural development

I am back to my (BUG) roots 😉 Check out my latest article about “Pollinators, Food security, and Rural Development”. caro bug 1 My love for bugs, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and good/healthy food combined in a document that will support the discussions at the first-ever IPBES Trialogue in Sarajevo. The Trialogue will bring together around 50 scientists, policy-makers and beekeepers/farmers to discuss about the situation in Montenegro, Albania, Moldova, Bosnia&Herzegovina and Georgia.

Download the full article here.

Key messages:

“Why are pollinators important?

Globally, nearly 90 per cent of wild flowering plant species depend, at least in part, on the transfer of pollen by animals. Plants are critical for the continued functioning of ecosystems as they provide food, form habitats and provide other resources for a wide range of other species (IPBES, 2016a).[…]
[…] Pollinator-dependent food products are important contributors to healthy human diets and nutrition. Pollinator- dependent species encompass many fruit, vegetable, seed, nut and oil crops, which supply major proportions of micronutrients, vitamins and minerals in the human diet (IPBES, 2016a). […]
[…] pollinators provide multiple benefits beyond food production. Their value has as well an important cultural and social component. Many livelihoods and cultural practices depend on pollinators, their products and multiple benefits such as medicine, fibres, materials for musical instruments, source of inspirations for arts, literature to name a few (IPBES, 2016a).[…]

What is the problem?

[…] Globally, there is a well-documented decline in some species of wild pollinators, and an important lack of data on the status of most wild species. Concerning managed species, honey bee numbers are generally increasing with local declines and important seasonal colony loss registered in several countries. As a result, there are losses of genetic diversity and local adaptations in honey bee populations. Populations of pollinators face multiple threats and there is a wide range of response options drawing from Indigenous and local knowledge and science (IPBES, 2016a).[…]
[…]Multiple causes are linked to the decline in pollinators such as land use change, intensive agricultural management, risks associated with pesticides and particular inputs (insecticides and herbicides) associated with Genetically Modified (GM) crops, pathogens, pests and predators, climate change, invasive alien species and the various interactions among these threats.” […]