POLLINATORS POLLINATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION

THE ASSESSMENT REPORT ON POLLINATORS, POLLINATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION
Better regulation of the movement of all species of
managed pollinators around the world, and within
countries, can limit the spread of parasites and
pathogens to managed and wild pollinators alike
and reduce the likelihood that pollinators will be
introduced outside their native ranges and cause
negative impacts (established but incomplete). For
example, Australia has strict biosecurity policy around
honey bees and has avoided establishment of Varroa mites.
Most countries have not regulated movement of managed
pollinators other than honey bees (6.4.4.2). Movement
regulation can also prevent or limit problems arising from
pollinators being introduced outside their native range
(established but incomplete).
While pollinator management by people has developed
over thousands of years, there are opportunities
for substantial further innovation and improvement
of management practices (well established). These
include better management of parasites and pathogens
(well established); selection for desired traits (established but
incomplete) and breeding for genetic diversity (inconclusive);
pollinator symbionts, including both micro- (established
but incomplete) and macro-organisms (inconclusive); and
pollinator diet, including enhanced resource provision at
the individual, colony, and landscape scales (established
but incomplete). Development programs focusing on
beekeeping skills, both for European honey bee and other
species, can improve the value and benefits associated with
these practices (established but incomplete) (6.4.4.1).
Disease and parasite pressures threaten managed
pollinators (well established) and while a range
of prevention and treatment options are available
(well established) there are many opportunities to
improve pollinator health outcomes through training,
technology development and research. For example,
there are no proven options for treating viruses in any
managed pollinator species, but RNAi technology could
provide one pathway toward such treatment (established
but incomplete). Varroa mites, a key parasite of honey bees,
have developed resistance to some chemical treatments
(well established) so new treatment options are required
(6.4.4.1, 6.4.4.5).
New managed pollinator species could contribute
to agricultural pollination but incur a risk of disease
transfer to wild populations and species invasions
(well established). For example, the development of
commercial bumble bee rearing and management has
transformed the cultivation of several crops in glasshouse
settings but there have been disease impacts on wild
pollinators (well established) (6.4.4.1.8).
Long-term monitoring of wild and managed pollinators
and pollination can provide crucial data for responding
rapidly to threats such as pesticide poisonings and
disease outbreaks, as well as long-term information
about trends, chronic issues and the effectiveness of
interventions (well established). Such monitoring would
address major knowledge gaps on the status and trends
of pollinators and pollination, particularly outside Western
Europe. Wild pollinators can be monitored to some extent
through citizen science projects focused on bees, birds or
pollinators generally (6.4.1.1.10, 6.4.4.5, 6.4.6.3.4).
Strategic initiatives on pollinators and pollination
can lead to important research outcomes and
national policy changes (established but incomplete).
Fundamental and applied research on pollinators can
generate findings of real policy relevance, especially when
the research is designed to answer questions posed by
policy makers, land managers and other stakeholders (well
established) (6.4.6.3.2, 6.4.6.2.2).
Education and outreach projects focused on
pollinators and pollination that combine awarenessraising
with practical training and opportunity
for action have a good chance of generating real
behaviour change, and there is direct evidence for
this in a small number of cases (established but
incomplete). There are very many pollinator-focused
education and outreach projects around the world. Most
are relatively new (within the last five years) and so effects
on broader pollinator abundance and diversity might not be
seen yet (6.4.5.1, 6.4.6.3.1).
Tools and methods are available to inform policy
decisions about pollinators and pollination including
risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis, decision
support tools and evidence synthesis. All of those
except evidence synthesis require further method
development and standardisation (well established). Other
available tools that are well developed but not yet used
specifically for pollinators include environmental accounting
and multi-criteria analysis. Maps of pollination seem useful
for targeting interventions to areas according to service
valuation or service supply, but available maps at national or
larger scales may be unreliable, because they have not been
tested to find out if they accurately reflect actual pollination
of crops or wild flowers (established but incomplete)
(6.5.14, 6.5.9).
There remain significant uncertainties regarding
pollinator decline and impacts on agriculture and
ecosystems (well established). Decisions about how
to reduce risks can be improved if uncertainty is
clearly recognised, characterised and communicated
(well established). Some sources of uncertainty are
unavoidable, because there is inherent unpredictability in
natural ecosystems and human economies. Other sources
of uncertainty, such as limited data availability, human
367
6. RESPONSES TO RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSOCIATED
WITH POLLINATORS AND POLLINATION