Pollinators: First Global Risk Index for Species Declines and Effects on Humanity
Published:17 Aug.2021 Source:University of Cambridge
Disappearing habitats and use of pesticides are driving the loss of pollinator species around the world, posing a threat to "ecosystem services" that provide food and wellbeing to many millions -- particularly in the Global South -- as well as billions of dollars in crop productivity.
This is according to an international panel of experts, led by the University of Cambridge, who used available evidence to create the first planetary risk index of the causes and effects of dramatic pollinator declines in six global regions. The bees, butterflies, wasps, beetles, bats, flies and hummingbirds that distribute pollen, vital for the reproduction of over 75% of food crops and flowering plants -- including coffee, rapeseed and most fruits -- are visibly diminishing the world over, yet little is known of the consequences for human populations.