Pollinators are crucial to agriculture, playing a decisive role in the reproduction of most crops. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators move pollen from one flower to another, allowing plants to set fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. More than 75% of the globe’s major food crops depend at least in part on pollinators, thereby making them indispensable to food security.
Pollinators also promote ecosystem health through the preservation of plant biodiversity, which in turn sustains other forms of wildlife. Honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, and even wind in certain situations are major pollinators.
But pollinators are increasingly at risk. Habitat destruction, due to intensive farming and urbanization, makes less room for them to exist and feed. Pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, are damaging or killing pollinators. Climate change also is interfering with flowering and pollinator timing, disrupting their interactions.
Action to conserve pollinators involves sowing pollinator-friendly crops, limiting pesticide use, and providing pollinator habitats, for example, wildflower strips or bee hotels.
Conservation of pollinators results in higher crop outputs, enhanced fruit quality, and plays a role in preserving biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. Promoting pollinator health is necessary for establishing a sustainable and fruitful agricultural system for generations to come.