Imagine waking up one morning to a world without coffee. Your salad lacks crisp cucumbers and ripe tomatoes and your dessert is missing apples and almonds. While this might initially seem like a minor inconvenience, it signals a far deeper crisis — the breakdown of the ecosystems that sustain our food supply.
Pollinators, the silent architects of agriculture, are indispensable to the growth of countless crops that nourish humanity. Animals such as bees, butterflies, birds and bats are key to the reproduction of more than 75 per cent of flowering plant species and are responsible for nearly a third of the global food supply, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Worldwide, pollination by animals aids the survival of approximately 308,000 flowering plant species, highlighting the indispensable role of pollinators in preserving biodiversity and ecological stability. Their value becomes even clearer when examining the improvements they bring to agricultural productivity.
The substantial yield enhancements observed across diverse agricultural sectors — ranging from a 10-15 per cent increase in cucumber production to a remarkable 67 per cent surge in almond yields — are directly attributable to pollination. Further, yields of citrus fruits can rise by 23 per cent, coffee by 54 per cent and apples may see improvements of 30-42 per cent. This underscores the critical economic imperative of safeguarding pollinator populations for sustained agricultural productivity and global food systems.
In addition to their ecological and agricultural importance, pollinators contribute significantly to the economy. Estimates suggest that the global economic value of pollination services ranges from £30 billion to £70 billion, according to a 2007 United Nations Environment Programme report. In the Indian context, a 2005 paper reported that pollinators add around $726 million each year through their influence on crop production. These figures underline the vital role pollinators play — not just in maintaining ecosystems and enhancing food production, but also in supporting the global economy and ensuring food security.
However, pollinators are disappearing at an alarming rate. A 2008 paper revealed in a long-term study that, from 1993 to 2008, yields of pollinator-dependent crops have stagnated or declined, while crops not reliant on pollinators remain unaffected. This crisis, termed “pollinator limitation,” highlights the dwindling availability of pollinators and its direct threat to food security. Compounding this issue, climate change has accelerated the disappearance of pollinators.
Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns and habitat destruction force plants that pollinators depend on to migrate or vanish. According to a 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) paper, up to one million species could disappear in the coming decades, with insects — especially pollinators — making up half of that number.
Across continents and ecosystems, the decline of pollinators has emerged as one of the most pressing and underappreciated crises of our time. The numbers are stark. According to the 2007 paper, 71 per cent of pollinator species have seen population declines, with 3.4 per cent driven to extinction in just the past two decades. The IUCN Red List paints a similarly sobering picture: 16.5 per cent of vertebrate pollinators are now at risk, a figure that jumps to 30 per cent for species confined to islands.
Nowhere is the crisis more dramatic than in the case of honey bees. A 2007 paper documented colony collapse disorder causing catastrophic losses — up to 90 per cent of hives in some parts of the United States. What was once dismissed as a localised problem now reveals itself as a global unravelling.
The ripple effects are already being felt. In China, apple and pear farmers have resorted to the painstaking process of hand-pollination, compensating for vanishing bees. In the Himalayan region, a decline in wild bees, butterflies and moths has directly impacted apple harvests.
Across North America, bumblebee sightings have plunged by 50 per cent since 1974. The once-abundant rusty-patched bumblebee is now officially endangered. Europe offers no refuge. A 2015 paper reported a 17 per cent decline in bumblebee populations since the early 20th century, while another 2017 report uncovered a staggering 75 per cent drop in flying insect biomass within Germany’s protected reserves over the past 30 years.
As our reliance on pollinators grows — cross-pollinated crops have increased by 300 per cent in the last 50 years, as stated by the 2019 IPBES paper — yet these crops show lower growth compared to pollinator-independent crops.
Pollinators are more than just ecosystem service providers; they are the linchpins of global food security, biodiversity and ecological resilience. Their decline is not merely a loss of insects, but a foreshadowing of deeper systemic collapse. The question now is not whether we can afford to protect pollinators — but whether we can afford not to?
The pulse of the natural world lies in the gentle flutter and soft hum of the pollinators. Their decline is not just an ecological alarm; it is a profound challenge to humanity’s own survival. Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” While the accuracy of this statement remains debated, its underlying message resonates deeply: Pollinators are not optional. They are essential.
From crop yields to climate resilience, the fate of bees, butterflies and other pollinators is inextricably tied to ours. Their buzzing is more than background noise — it’s a quiet warning siren that we can no longer afford to ignore. A world without pollinators is not just less colourful; it is more fragile, more hungry and less secure.
The urgency is real. If we continue to sideline these unsung heroes of the ecosystem, the consequences will not unfold in some distant, hypothetical future — they will arrive in our lifetime. And when they do, they will hit hardest where it hurts most: our food systems, our biodiversity, our climate balance.
Protecting the smallest among us may seem like a modest act. Yet, as the 2017 paper cautioned, “Without pollinators, ecosystems unravel, crop yields plummet and the delicate balance of life itself is disrupted.”
Devaraju Shishira is a beekeeping consultant, Goa, India; AR Uthappa is scientist (agroforestry), ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Ela, Old Goa, India; and SB Chavan is senior scientist (forestry), ICAR-National Institute of Abiotic Stress and Management, Baramati, India
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth