Mainstreaming pollinators into policy decisions

Abstract

Truly innovative concepts for understanding societal dependence on the natural world are emerging In global policy arenas. Among the more compelling of these is the realisation of the value of ecosystem services. Including pollination and the attempt to put a price tag on them, The concept of ecosystem services suggests that it is not on specific organisms that we have our strongest dependencies but rather on systems and processes of nature. This relationship underlies sustainable livelihoods. Pollination is certainly an important ecosystem service because it is linked to food production and ecosystem regeneration through plant reproduction. Pollination, fruit set and seed set are integrally linked to biodiversity conservation because many plants have unique pollinators although this concept has strong resonance and logic, the global community has yet to develop an enabling policy framework to ensure the continuity and conservation of pollination services. The general lack of awareness about ecosystem services and their value and why pollination is Important both to conservation and sustainable agriculture needs to be conveyed more effectively by Scientists to broader audiences in the policy arena.