Human population growth, coupled with industrial development, has caused an increase in the consumption of natural resources in a very unsustainable manner. This jeopardizes the vital ecosystem services and threatens global biodiversity. An excellent example of this is the effect on insect pollination. The vast majority of the world pollinators include social and solitary bees, flies, wasps, moths, butterflies and beetles. These are even economically important as the vast majority of them are crucial for pollination of fruit, vegetable, oil, seed and nut crops. Global wild and managed pollination in 2005 was worth 215 billion dollars. Crops pollinated.by insects provide vital human nutrition worldwide. Not only humans, insect that pollinates wild plants is an important mechanism underpinning ecosystem services and biodiversity. Insect pollinators have been facing growing pressure due to intensified land use, climate change, invasive species and the added stress of spread of pests and pathogens. All of this is having a severe implication to human food security and health, along with ecosystem function.
These threats have been recognized for a long time, but the majority of research has focused on their impact and not on the complex nature of the problem. It has lead to an only partial explanation for the cause and decline in the pollinator population. Pollinators provide a vital ecosystem service by improving or stabilizing yields of about 75% of crop-plant species globally.
Pollinators for Underpinning Biodiversity
These threats have been recognized for a long time, but the majority of research has focused on their impact and not on the complex nature of the problem. It has lead to an only partial explanation for the cause and decline in the pollinator population. Pollinators provide a vital ecosystem service by improving or stabilizing yields of about 75% of crop-plant species globally.
Pollinators for Underpinning Biodiversity