Bees and other pollinators such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds are under threats due to human activities. Pollination is one of the fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. According to the report, 90% of the world's wild flowering plant species depend, least or entirely on animal pollination. Pollinators not only contribute in food security but they are important for biodiversity conservation.

To raise awareness about of importance of pollinators, threats they face and their contribution in sustainable development, the UN designed 20th May as World Bees Day. The mainly focused to protecting the bees and other pollinators, which they contribute in developing countries in  solving problems that are related to global food supply and reduce the hunger rate. We all depend on pollinators and we must monitors their decline rate.

Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production:

Bees and other pollinators are important for the balance ecosystems and food security. They help in maintain biodiversity and ensure the production of nutritious food. However, different activities create threats to pollinators i.e., intensive mono-cropping production and improper pesticides usage by reducing their access to food and their nesting sites exposing them to harmful chemicals and ultimately they weakening their immune system.

Need to Act:

Bees are under threat. Due to human impacts, bees extinction rates are approximately increase 100 to 1000 times higher than the normal. According to the report, about 35% of invertebrate pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies and 17% of vertebrate pollinators such as bats are globally extinct. If this extinction rate continues the nutritious crops (fruits and nuts) and many vegetable crops will be increasingly substituted by staple crops like rice, corn and potatoes, eventually resulting in an imbalanced diet.

Intense farming practices, change in land use, mono cropping practises, use of pesticides and higher temperature associated with climate change all these problems create threatens for bees populations. According to the 2000 report, in the international Pollinator Initiative (IPI) was established (COP decision V/5, section II) at the Fifth Conference of Parties, mainly focused to promote the sustainable use of pollinators in agriculture and related ecosystem. It mainly concerned on monitoring the decline rate of the pollinators, gather information about the lack of taxonomic information on pollinators, assessing the economic value and the economic impact of the decline of pollination services and then protect the pollinator diversity.

In conclusion, bees and the other pollinators are important for balancing the ecosystem. We all depend on pollinators and we should raising awareness around us by sharing information within our communities and network about the decline rate of bees. Everyone should encouraged to help to protect bees and their habitats on World bees  day. 

About the Author:

Aqsa Abid has completed her BS in Environmental Sciences form GCWUS. She is a green blogger and climate activist.