decline, experts urge
The number of wild bees has fallen dramatically since 1990; UiB professor Jeroen van der Sluijs urges researchers to assume their responsibility and help save the insects who hold the key to upholding human food production

Date:
November 2, 2021
Source:
The University of Bergen
Summary:
The number of wild bees has fallen dramatically since 1990. An
expert urges researchers to assume their responsibility and
help save the insects who hold the key to upholding human food
production.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== "Insect and pollinator decline constitutes a pressing societal challenge
that requires attention and action now. What is at stake is nothing
less than the world's ecosystems and food production," says professor
Jeroen van der Sluijs at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and
the Humanities, University of Bergen (UiB).


==========================================================================
Van der Sluijs points to the database Global Biodiversity Information
Facility, which shows that biodiversity among wild bees has decreased
with 25 % since 1990. This is a serious threat to many plants, who depend
on pollinators to form seeds and reproduce.

"The decline in bees and other pollinators continues with increasing
strength, and we are running out of time," he says.

Van der Sluijs has recently published an editorial and an article about
bee decline in the scientific journal Current Opinion in Insect Science.

Safe pesticides not safe after all Van der Sluijs and other researchers
trace the insect decline to the massive use of modern pesticides that
has slipped through the cracks in the otherwise rigorous European
regulatory system.



========================================================================== According to van der Sluijs, there is a prevailing perception that modern pesticides are much safer than they used to be. However, new studies,
including van der Sluijs' own research, links environmental contamination
from so-called neonicotinoids (see fact box) in modern pesticides to a
decline in the populations of wild bees and many other insects.

"One main reason why modern pesticides are not yet banned is that
researchers have not taken enough responsibility for communicating the
crucial expertise needed for governments and other decision-makers to
make informed choices," he says.

Van der Sluijs therefore urges researchers to assume more social
responsibility and communicate their knowledge, even if this is not
always easy.

"Assuming one's social responsibility as a scientist is always an uphill struggle. The academic reward system pushes you to prioritize scientific
impact over societal impact," he points out.

Encourages broad coalitions However, insect researchers alone cannot halt
the decline of the bee population, according to van der Sluijs. They also
have to engage in transdisciplinary coalitions with other societal actors
in order to bring excluded relevant knowledge and early warning signals
to the attention of the decision-makers, something history has shown us.

"Independent researchers, beekeepers, conservationists and politicians
formed a coalition to put alternative knowledge on the regulatory
agenda. This initiative led to a pluralization of knowledge that
contributed to remedying the blind spots of regulatory science," says
van der Sluijs.

Facts: Neonicotinoids
* Neonicotinoids are active substances used in plant protection
products to
control harmful insects, which means they are insecticides
* The name literally means "new nicotine-like insecticides." They are
chemically similar to nicotine
* The name neonicotinoids is sometimes shortened to "neonics" or
"NNIs" * Neonics are systemic pesticides. Unlike contact pesticides,
which remain
on the surface of the treated parts of plants (e.g. leaves),
systemic pesticides are taken up by the plant and transported
throughout the plant (leaves, flowers, roots and stems, as well
as pollen and nectar)
* Neonics affect the central nervous system of insects, leading
to eventual
paralysis and death
* They are also common in veterinary applications such as tick
control and
flea collars for pets.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by The_University_of_Bergen. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jeroen P van der Sluijs, Ste'phane Foucart, Je'ro^me
Casas. Editorial
overview: Halting the pollinator crisis requires entomologists to
step up and assume their societal responsibilities. Current Opinion
in Insect Science, 2021; 46: vi DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2021.08.004 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211102125503.htm

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