Thursday, February 29, 2024
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We spoke with Félix Torres, a doctor from the University of Salamanca and specialist in pollinating insects, about their importance, especially bees, for the future of our ecosystems.
By Pablo Cerezal
According to a report from the United Nations (UN), 90% of flowering plants depend on wild bees and other insects for pollination. According to this report, this type of bee is the one that is most in danger of disappearing. What are the reasons and how would that possible extinction affect ecosystems?
The reasons for the disappearance of bees are all related to human activity. Pesticides, landscape modification, extensive agriculture, urbanization, the emergence, with globalization, of invasive exotic species that compete with native species, and above all, climate change. And any change in an ecosystem, no matter how small, will cause alterations that can clearly modify what we know. Where can this take us? We don't know, but the trend towards the disappearance of bees is worrying and, if we don't want to face the consequences, we have to take action.
Would the disappearance of bees affect our diet?
Of course. 90% of vegetable pollination depends on pollinators, of which bees are the ultimate example. But it's not just the pollination of vegetables, but everything that goes along with it. Food production depends largely on the cultivation of vegetables, so human nutrition would be completely altered if the pollination process of bees or other pollinating animals disappeared. We would have to get used to another type of diet. Synthetic food? Let's hope not. In order to avoid having to find out, it is necessary to ensure that bees and other pollinators do not disappear.
On the other hand, honeybees, the ones that produce honey, are also in serious danger. Would their disappearance be equally harmful or would it only affect the production of said food?
The disappearance of the honeybee would mainly affect the loss of products derived from it: honey, pollen, and other resources. Its disappearance is not so clear at the moment. In fact, Spanish apiaries are not even in decline, but in some cases they are actually increasing. Disappearance is not expected in the short or medium term.
What differences are there between honeybees and wild bees?
The main difference is the number of species. In Spain, there is only one species of honeybee. On the contrary, there are about 1,200 species of wild bees. Likewise, the honeybee is a social bee that builds hives and colonies where they work together to produce their resources, while wild bees do not collaborate with each other and complete their life cycle independently, individually, and isolated. They also have a different pollinating behavior. Many wild bees are focused on the exclusive pollination of certain plants, while honeybees are very generalist bees that visit any type of flowering plant. Perhaps this is the reason why we have been using honeybees as a human resource for centuries, while we are just beginning to discover the possibilities that wild bees offer in this field.
What other insects and pollinating agents should we pay attention to in order to maintain the balance of ecosystems?
The balance of ecosystems depends on all groups of organisms, regardless of whether they are microbiological, animal or plant. Balance depends on the whole. As for pollination, it is true that bees are the main pollinating agent, the most important one, but we must not forget other groups of animals such as flies, butterflies, beetles, wasps, and even perhaps lesser-known animals in that pollinating function, such as small reptiles, bats, hummingbirds, and other small birds. In the end, it is the contribution of all of them that maintains balance in ecosystems.
It is evident that an increasing percentage of the population is concerned about caring for the environment. This involves understanding nature as a whole, and not limiting oneself to specific environmental or ecosystem problems, such as the danger faced by bees. Do you consider this a progress that can help combat the risks that threaten these insects?
Of course. We should understand globalization from all points of view. Understanding pollinators is just a small step in understanding nature in general, how ecosystems work, how different organisms interact with each other to maintain balance, and realizing that any modification, no matter how small, will cause disruption to the ecosystem's balance.
Last year, "Save Bees and Farmers", a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) that called for bee-friendly agriculture to achieve a healthy environment, gathered one million signatures and was recognized by the European Commission, which asked the European Parliament and Council to take action in this direction. Has this Initiative had any legislative reflection in Europe?
This citizen initiative was presented in April 2023, almost a year ago, and it has had administrative repercussions. Even before its presentation, the European Union was considering the need to regulate the knowledge of pollinators and biodiversity. And there are European projects focused on research in this regard. Citizen initiatives have that popular consensus that our administrators need to make them stronger. This initiative seeks the elimination of pesticides, the recovery of a more or less adequate management of agriculture, and the support for farmers so that their activity is not only sustainable, but also profitable. And it has managed to start getting the use of pesticides regulated and to promote awareness of biodiversity. All of this supported by the backing of more than one million European citizens, driven by non-governmental organizations.
Beyond regulations that help ensure the continuity of this valuable species of insects, what can we do as citizens and institutions to ensure their permanence?
Institutions have to regulate and legislate. We know the causes of the decline of pollinators and bees, and to fight against it, it is necessary to have the interrelation of different administrations. Afterwards, beyond the laws that emanate from national and international administrations, citizens must become aware of the need to know pollinating insects as any other group of organisms. The more we know, the more aware we will be to prevent the disappearance of species and achieve an optimal balance in nature for the coexistence of all beings that inhabit this planet.
What actions and initiatives are already underway to prevent the decrease in population of these insects? Are they working?
Currently, there are several international research projects. It is the first step that must be taken to continue moving forward. International projects focused on understanding the biodiversity of pollinators, which, depending on the environments and countries in which they are applied, yield more or less results, but in any case are positive. Of course, these actions involve the need for citizens to collaborate, to get involved and become aware not only of the need for knowledge, but also of their own importance in helping to generate that knowledge. The first steps have been taken. We just need to keep moving forward.
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