Today is World Bee Day, the WWF: “A national plan is needed to protect them”

35% of global agricultural production depends on these insects, with an estimated economic value of over 153 billion euros each year.

ROME – If there are any animal species in the world to which human beings owe their survival and well-being, it is precisely that of bees, whose World Day is celebrated today. Why dedicate a world day to insects? Because we cannot do without their tireless ‘work’. In fact, 35% of world agricultural production depends on them, with an estimated economic value each year of over 153 billion euros globally and 22 billion euros for Europe alone. The WWF Italy, which for years has carried out numerous conservation and protection activities for these precious species, also through the network of its Oases, urges the urgent adoption and implementation by our Government of a National Plan for the conservation of pollinators, foreseen by the National Biodiversity Strategy 2030. On 3 August 2023, the Ministerial Decree adopting the new National Strategy for Biodiversity for 2030 and establishing its governance bodies was signed, but since then there have been no concrete steps for its implementation.

THE ALARM OF THE BEE-KEEPERS

Beekeepers have long raised the alarm about the drastic reduction in the number and productivity of hives. Climate change, together with intensive agricultural practices which involve the use of pesticides dangerous for bees and other pollinators, endanger this priceless heritage of Italian agriculture which is carefully monitored by the Ministry of Agricultural Policieswith the ‘BeeNet’ project for which Crea(Agriculture and Environment Research Centre) is responsible. Laboratory analyzes have made it possible to find cases of the presence of the active substances of plant protection products on bees and pollen, used in the areas over which they fly and forage. Over the last few years in Italy, EFSA has recorded bee losses between one hundred and one thousand times greater than what is normally observed. While research on the loss of pollinator biodiversity, conducted by IPBES already in 2016, shows that 40% of wild bee and butterfly species are at risk.

WHY POLLINATION IS IMPORTANT

Pollination is one of the most important ecosystem services provided by nature for human well-being and our economy. Almost 90% of all wild flowering plants depend on animal pollination, while of the 1,400 plants that produce food and industrial products in the world, almost 80% require pollination by animals. animals, not only domestic and wild bees, but also wasps, butterflies and moths, hoverflies, beetles, birds, bats and other vertebrates. Even considering wild bees alone, it is a veritable army of over 20,000 species that guarantee the pollination of flowers on which 35% of global agricultural production depends. 84% of the main crops for human consumption in Europe, including many types of fruit and vegetables, require insect pollination to improve their quality and yield. The European Union would therefore have good reasons to take care of bees and other pollinating insects, but today – according to WWF Italy – this still does not happen as it should, despite the fact that the European Commission has adopted in January 2023 the ‘Revision of the initiative of ‘EU in favor of pollinators’.

“Pollinating insects need ecosystems free from poisons and diversified, with the presence of hedges, trees, buffer strips with nectariferous flowers, ponds, to feed and complete their reproductive cycle. this is essential to eliminate the pesticides that poison our agriculture and bring nature back into farms – says Eva Alessi, Sustainability manager of WWF Italy – To achieve these objectives and not leave the good ones on paper purposes, Member States, farmers, the agri-food industry and European citizens are called today to play an active role and assume their responsibilities to support the necessary ecological transition of our agriculture”.

EVERY EU STATE MUST DO ITS PART