GLOBAL POLLINATION CRISIS by Ana Lovato

Global Pollinator Decline? Recent concerns of a global decline in pollinator abundance have been raised by the accumulation of related regional evidence, including a drop in the number of domestic honey-bee colonies in the USA [14], a reduction in the abundance and diversity of wild bees in Europe , and a plethora of studies from around the world showing local decreases in pollinators due to habitat fragmentation and agricultural intensification As a consequence, the implication that agricultural production may suffer from an intensifying pollination shortage has received much media attention, becoming an issue of widespread interest and concern As a reflection of these concerns, the term “pollination crisis” was coined to highlight the potential effects of a global pollinator decline on the human food supply Most recently, these concerns were voiced in Resolution T6-0579/2008 of the European Parliament, which stated “…whereas the beekeeping sector throughout the world, and more particularly in Europe, is encountering very serious difficulties…(and) only bees, in sufficient numbers, can guarantee pollination…it is essential to respond without delay to the crisis in bee health in an appropriate manner and with effective weapons” Regrettably, despite increasing claims of global pollinator declines , the data needed to assess global changes in the abundance and diversity of wild pollinators are not currently available. Instead, we analyze temporal trends in the total number of commercial hives of the domesticated honey bee, Apis mellifera, based on the database of the FAO of the United Nations [11]. The honey bee is managed for both honey production and pollination services and is the single most important crop pollinator . According to the FAO data, the global stock of commercial honey-bee colonies increased by ∼45% since 1961 ( Figure 1A, solid black line). The main exceptions to this global increase involve long-term declines in the USA and some European countries, but these are outweighed by rapid growth elsewhere . Thus, despite variation among countries, the overall FAO data reveal that at least domesticated honey bees are not declining globally.