The Crop Protection Association And
Their View Of Pollinators

“Pollination is often presented as a crucial service in decline, but are we facing a pollination crisis?

To contribute towards awareness of pollinator decline and the extent of the problem, this report describes the relationship between pollinators and agriculture, explores threats to pollinator species, and pays special attention to the honey bee in recognition of its importance to pollination and the beekeeping industry”.

“European agricultural landscapes have historically enlarged those habitats suitable for pollinators.

Before the agricultural revolutions large parts of Europe were covered with forest – a habitat offering fewer food sources for pollinator species.

The growth of agriculture in Europe has provided a patchwork of ‘cultural’ (diverse and multifunctional) habitats, offering a variety of sources of pollen, and including open spaces such as meadows and field boundaries where wild flowers and other non-crop vegetation thrive.

Cultural landscapes also offer plentiful options for nesting and breeding space. The modern day prevalence and distribution of pollinators has been very much shaped by human behaviour.”

“On the other hand, the advancement of industrial models in agriculture has promoted the simplification of agroecosystems, with reductions in the number of and variability within species.

Increased specialization at the field, farm, and landscape levels produces monocultures that potentially increase environmental risks because they reduce biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecological resilience, and they may be highly vulnerable to climate change.

These systems have both benefited and endangered human health and the environment in many industrial countries.

While industrial production systems yield large volumes of agricultural commodities with relatively small amounts of labor, they are often costly in terms of human health (Wesseling et al., 1997; Antle et al., 1998; Cole et al., 2002), have additional negative environmental impacts, and are frequently inefficient in terms of energy use.

Runoff and seepage of synthetic fertilizers and concentrated sources of livestock waste damage aquifers, rivers, lakes, and even oceans—with costly effects on drinking water quality, fish habitat, safety of aquatic food, and recreational amenities (FAO, 1996a; WWAP, 2003; FAO, 2006b; CA, 2007).

This is occurring particularly rapidly in some emerging industrialized countries. However, in countries with increasing industrial production one may also observe more effective food regulation and safety protocols, providing enhanced health protection against foodborne illness.

Commercial pesticides often affect non-target organisms and their habitats, and especially when used without strict attention to recommended usage and safety protocols, can negatively affect the health of farm workers (WWAP, 2003).

The global atmospheric transport of agricultural pollutants, including pesticides, the breakdown products of other agrichemicals, and greenhouse gases, means that environmental costs are also borne by populations far removed from sites of production (Commoner, 1990; UNEP, 2005).”

“While industrialised agriculture is often considered the biggest single global contributor to extinction, biodiversity of every kind is enhanced on farms that avoid industrial methods compared with farms that do not”.

“The pollinators that can be regularly seen in gardens, parks and during walks in the countryside belong to species that thrive in the present agricultural environment. Several attractive butterflies belong to these common species.”

“Monitoring data show that agri-environment schemes have failed to halt the general decline of butterflies on farmland in England: there had been a significant decline (30% over the last 10 years) in mean abundance of 40 butterfly species assessed.”

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/uploads/sobb2007summary.pdf