Pollination by bees and other animals is a recognized ecosystem service, vital to human food security and natural ecosystems.  Pollinators are in decline globally and much debate has been raised about the drivers of pollinator decline.  To address this issue, the first thematic assessment of the United Nations sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was undertaken (http://www.ipbes.net/work-programme/pollination).  The assessment was conducted by evaluating the literature and drafting a transparent document that was vetted by scientist and the public at large.  The result was a report that has now been adopted at the United Nations meeting in Kula Lumpur, Indonesia in Feb of 2017.   The assessment included the role of pollinators in food production and the role of both native and managed pollinators in natural and agroecosystems.   The goal was to provide an independent assessment of the status of pollinators and provide insight into contentious issues such as pesticides and GMOs and their impact on pollinators. The following is directly quoted from the IPBES website: “<i>This assessment addresses two highly contentious and political issues: (i) the lethal and sub-lethal effects of pesticides, including neonicotinoids, on wild and managed bees; and (ii) the direct and indirect effects of genetically modified crops on a range of pollinators. The assessment concludes that recent evidence shows impacts of neonicotinoids on wild pollinator survival and reproduction at actual field exposure, but that the effects on managed honey bee colonies are conflicting. The assessment concludes that more research is needed to assess the impact of genetically modified crops on pollinators</i>”. The findings of the IPBES report will be discussed in more detail, especially as related to pesticide use and risk reduction recommendations made by the report.

Evaluating the impacts of pesticides on pollination as an ecosystem service: A synopsis of the IPBES report

254th National Meeting (2017)

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