Save pollinators

Introduction

The Global Environment Facility, a partnership among 178 countries to address global environmental issues, has launched a project worth us $26.45 million to better protect pollinators—beets, bats, birds—that are essential to the world's crop production. The main threats to pollinators are from disease, pesticide use, habitat loss and degradation, monocultures and introduction of exotic species. The United Nations Environment Programme will implement the five-year project, Conservation and Management of Pollinators for Sustainable Agriculture through an Ecosystem Approach. Pollinators such as birds, bees, butterflies, bats and even mosquitoes are essential for food production because they transfer pollen between seed plants-impacting 35 per cent of the world's crops.

Source

Down To Earth

Date

October, 2008