The Value of Pollinators: Insect-Supported Foods and the Background of the Times: From the 1970s to the 21st Century

The Value of Pollinators: Insect-Supported Foods and the Background of the Times: From the 1970s to the 21st Century

Approximately 70% of plants depend on pollination by animals, with honeybees and bumblebees responsible for the majority of pollination. Their economic value is estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars per year, and their importance has been highlighted by population growth and increasing demand for food since the 1970s. However, the Green Revolution of the late 20th century brought chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and large-scale mechanization, and as mono-crop cultivation expanded, insects' feeding grounds and habitats declined, and the widespread use of neonicotinoid pesticides since the 1980s has had a serious impact on insects, resulting in a pollination crisis. In addition, climate change has shifted the timing of floral and insect activity, disrupting their harmony, and the bee colony collapse syndrome since 2006 has had a major impact in the U.S. and Europe, seriously affecting beekeepers and agricultural economies. Internationally, the 1992 Convention on Biologi
cal Diversity and the 2016 IPBES report recognize that protecting pollinators is essential for food security. Pollinators are not just a natural activity, but the foundation that shapes the food culture and economy of humankind, and the drastic decline of insects is an alarm bell for our time, indicating the vulnerability of our civilization.