The Value of Pollinators: Insect-Supported Food and Historical Background

The Value of Pollinators: Insect-Supported Food and Historical Background

Approximately 70% of plants require pollination by animals, and insects have been responsible for the majority of pollination. In particular, honeybees, bumblebees, and honeycombs are indispensable for the fruiting of crops, and they support a wide range of human foods, from fruits and vegetables to nuts, coffee, cacao, and other luxury items. Their economic value is estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars per year globally, and their importance has become even more pronounced since the 1970s as the world's population has grown and demand for food has increased.

Looking back at the historical background, the "Green Revolution" in the latter half of the 20th century led to a dramatic increase in agricultural production with the widespread use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and large-scale mechanization. On the other hand, however, monocultures (cultivation of only one crop) expanded, and insects that migrated in search of a variety of flowers lost their feeding grounds and habitats. Furthermore, from the 1980s to the 2000s, the massive use of the insecticide neonicotinoid caused behavioral abnormalities and increased mortality among insects, and a "pollination crisis" emerged that threatened agriculture itself.

Climate change is also affecting pollinators. Phenology mismatches," in which the timing of flowering and the timing of insect activity shift, have been reported, and the relationship between plants and insects, once harmonious in nature, has begun to break down. In particular, the "bee colony collapse syndrome (CCD)" that has occurred one after another in the U.S. and Europe since 2006 has caused beekeepers to lose entire hives of worker bees, and has also directly led to price fluctuations in crops on which they depend heavily, such as almonds and blueberries.

Internationally, the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and the 2016 UN IPBES report recognized the protection of pollinators as an issue directly related to food security. The times have shifted from a consumer society that took abundant supply for granted to a stage in which we must face the risks of insect decline.

Pollinators are more than just an ecosystem service; they have shaped the foundation of human food culture and the economy. If its value is lost, the diversity and sustainability of agriculture will be seriously shaken. The drastic decline of insects is a wake-up call for our times, showing how dependent our civilization has become on the foundations of nature.