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Rapid assessment of pollinators'status

A contribution to the international initiative for the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators

Year of publication 2008

Pages 112 p.

Author Plant Production and Protection Division

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Every continent has reports of pollinator declines in at least one region/ country. The losses of pollination services have been well documented in many specifi c instances; what remains lacking are global assessments of changes in the distribution and levels of pollination services. As the recognized drivers of pollinator losses (changing land-use patterns, pesticide use, diseases, invasive species and climate change) are themselves changing in intensity, the global community is jus tifi ed in taking note and determining the actions that will conserve pollinators. The insidious nature of the loss of ecosystem services- by slow erosion rather than cataclysmic events- demands careful monitoring. Pollinators provide essential services to humans. In several instances, impressive documentation of the market and non-market values derived from pollination services has been made. Despite this, the economic valuation of pollination services has a number of challenges to overcome, many stemming from the gaps in understanding of the actual contribution of pollination to crop production. Developing sound management plans for pollinators will hinge on good taxonomic support. Linked to the taxonomic information about species is other information on biological characteristics (including fl oral relationships and ecological linkages) that are important for adaptive management. New approaches to managing pollinator information should help to overcome the taxonomic impediment, although the focus at present has been on bees, and not on other key pollinator groups.

Language English

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