We all depend on the survival of bees

Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.

Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity.

To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.

The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries.

We all depend on pollinators and it is, therefore, crucial to monitor their decline and halt the loss of biodiversity.

Bee engaged!

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has had an undeniable impact on the beekeeping sector affecting the production, the market and as a consequence, the livelihoods of beekeepers.

This year, World Bee Day focused on bee production and good practices adopted by beekeepers to support their livelihoods and deliver good quality products.

To mark the Day, a virtual event - under the theme "Bee Engaged" - highlighted the importance of traditional knowledge related to beekeeping, the use of bee-derived products and services, and their importance in achieving the SDGs. If you missed it, you can watch it here! 

To celebrate #WorldBeeDay, renowned actors, singers, chefs and media professionals also recorded poems related to bees and beekeeping, some recalling how the behavior of bees so often mirrors that of human beings across our planet. Listen to the poems now and bee inspired.

Do you know all the different pollinators?

We need to act now

Bees are under threat. Present species extinction rates are 100 to 1,000 times higher than normal due to human impacts. Close to 35 percent of invertebrate pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, and about 17 percent of vertebrate pollinators, such as bats, face extinction globally.

If this trend continues, nutritious crops, such as fruits, nuts and many vegetable crops will be substituted increasingly by staple crops like rice, corn and potatoes, eventually resulting in an imbalanced diet.

Intensive farming practices, land-use change, mono-cropping, pesticides and higher temperatures associated with climate change all pose problems for bee populations and, by extension, the quality of food we grow.

Recognizing the dimensions of the pollination crisis and its links to biodiversity and human livelihoods, the Convention on Biological Diversity has made the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators a priority. In 2000, the International Pollinator Initiative (IPI) was established (COP decision V/5, section II) at the Fifth Conference of Parties (COP V) as a cross-cutting initiative to promote the sustainable use of pollinators in agriculture and related ecosystems. Its main goals are monitoring pollinators decline, addressing the lack of taxonomic information on pollinators, assessing the economic value of pollination and the economic impact of the decline of pollination services and protect pollinator diversity.

Along with coordinating the International Pollinator Initiative (IPI), the FAO also provides technical assistance to countries on issues ranging from queen breeding to artificial insemination to sustainable solutions for honey production and export marketing.

Discover other initiatives, national and international, dedicated to the protection of pollinators.

>> Facilitated by FAO

Documents

• General Assembly resolution A/RES/72/211 (draft A/72/PV.74)
• Decision adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on biological diversity, regarding the Conservation and sustainable use of pollinators
• The International Initiative for the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators (COP 5 Decision V/5)
• Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production
• The state of the world's biodiversity for food and agriculture
• Why Bees Matter - The importance of bees and other pollinators for food and agriculture

More information

• World Bee Day (FAO)
• Publications by the FAO on the importance of pollinators
• The Sustainable Development Goals
• FAO's Global Action on Pollination Services for Sustainable Agriculture
• Technologies and Practices for Small Agricultural Producers (FAO)
• "Buzzing with life" - or all you need to know about bees (UNDP)
• Bee-ing grateful to our pollinators
• The power of pollinators: why more bees means better food
• Why we need bees for a nutritious future (FAO)
• Money from honey
• Declining bee populations pose threat to global food security and nutrition
• Honey production in Guatemala: sweet success
• Press Release: Pollinators Vital to Our Food Supply Under Threat
• FAO's Global Action on Pollination Services for Sustainable Agriculture
• Infographics by FAO
• TARGET: Zero Hunger - The Power of Pollinators: Why More Bees Means Better Food
• IOM: Syrian Beekeeper Extracts Honey and Hope from Bees in Turkey 

What would a world without bees look like? Listen to FAO’s Abram Bicksler about the importance of pollinators for ensuring the world's food security.

20 May coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia and praised the bees for their ability to work so hard, while needing so little attention.