Around 15 per cent of Malta’s total agricultural produce – or €8 million a year – is dependent on bees and other pollinating species, highlighting the urgency of action to reverse their decline, according to experts.
“Protecting pollination safeguards not only our food security and the well-being of our farmers but also our culture and identity,” said Mario Balzan, a pollination researcher at Mcast.
Dr Balzan said pollination had tangible benefits in terms of size and yield for a number of key local crops, including tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries and watermelon. He was speaking yesterday at a conference organised by Friends of the Earth and the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council ahead of CHOGM.
The conference included the release of a report on pollination concerns across the Commonwealth, calling for countries to develop national action plans and to engage society in action to protect pollinators. “Action for bees and pollinators underpins Commonwealth concerns about resilience, food security, biodiversity and functioning natural ecosystems,” the report notes.
“The Commonwealth, its member nations and organisations can be at the forefront of action to reverse bee and pollinator decline.” The report calls for a Commonwealth-wide monitoring programme to record populations and the success of conservation activities, in an effort to inform decision-making processes.
We have to think about this as a food security issue
It also recommends higher investment in university and other academic programmes to provide more pollination experts and analysis, as well as the integration of pollination into other discussions and research.
“Bee populations are in heavy decline around the world due to habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use,” said Paul de Zylva from Friends of the Earth UK.
“Bees pollinate 87 per cent of the plant species that we use for food, medicine and materials. Billions of people and millions of businesses around the world are dependent on them.” Globally, he noted, the economic value of wild and managed pollination was estimated at €153 billion in 2005, and was likely to have increased significantly in the last decade.
“We have to think about this also as a food security issue,” Mr de Zylva said. “Without bees, people in all countries will have less rich, varied and nutritious diets.”
He called for civil society action in all countries to put pressure on decision makers and push for policies based on knowledge.
An Environment Ministry representative, speaking on behalf of Minister Leo Brincat, who was unable to attend, delivered a statement of a few lines noting the importance of bees to Malta’s agriculture and ecosystems.