Caring for Pollinators - Bundesamt für Naturschutz

Potts, Roberts, Kunin & Biesmeijer The status of European pollinators
4.1 The status of European pollinators
by Simon G. Potts, Stuart Roberts; William E. Kunin & Jacobus C. Biesmeijer, UK
Importance of European pollinators
It is estimated that more than 150 (84%) of European crops are directly dependent upon
insects for their pollination (Williams 1994). Crop pollination is estimated to be worth €14.2
billion per year in European Union (Gallai et al. 2008). European crops for which the number
of fruits and seeds and their quality are dependent upon, or enhanced by, insect pollination
(Corbet et al. 1991; Williams 1996) include:
Fruits – apple, orange, tomato, pear, peach, melons, lemon, strawberry, raspberry, plum,
apricot, cherry, kiwifruit, mango, currants, olives and grapevine; Vegetables – carrot, potato,
onion, pepper, pumpkin, field bean, French bean, eggplant, squash, cucumber, and soy
bean; Seeds and nuts – sunflower, almond, walnut and chestnut; Herbs – basil, sage,
rosemary, thyme, coriander, cumin and dill; Industrial crops – cotton, oilseed rape, white
mustard, and buckwheat; Fodder crops for animals – alfalfa, clover and sweetclover;
Essential oils – chamomile, lavender, and evening primrose.
To date there is a growing body of case studies and anecdotal evidence for declines in
pollinators in Europe and elsewhere, however the information is very fragmented and often
reported outside the mainstream literature. Since many European crops depend on
pollinators, and loss of pollination services may have huge negative impacts it is essential to
understand the status and trends of Europe’s pollinators. The ALARM project (Assessing
Large-scale threats for biodiversity with tested methods. www.alarmproject.net) undertook
large scale studies of the trends in honeybees, solitary bees and hoverflies at the national
and continental scales.
94
© IBRA