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UN: Bee colonies worldwide under threat from chemicals and pollution
Mar 10, 2011, 21:30 GMT
A bee pollinates a flower as it collects nectar from the plant at the California central coast seaside resort community of Shell Beach, California, USA, 09 March 2011. The central coast of California which lies between San Francisco and Los Angeles is a popular vacation area as well as retirement community for Americans. EPA/MIKE NELSON
Geneva - Bee colonies around the world are under threat, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said Thursday, charging that this was as a result of factors such as chemicals used in agriculture and pollution.
New virulent fungal pathogens are also being spread through global trade movements, hurting the bee population, according to a new UNEP report entitled Bees under Bombardment.
'The decline of bee populations has serious consequences for food security,' said UNEP. Biodiversity would come under further pressure without the pollinators.
Declines in managed bee colonies have accelerated since 1998, especially in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The United States, Asia and Africa is also affected.
'Bees are early warning indicators of wider impacts on animal and plant life,' said UNEP, calling for farmers to be offered incentives to restore pollinator-friendly habitats.
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