Bees for Development Journal 106
RECENT RESEARCH
EU RESCUE PLAN
In the article Detecting insect pollinator declines on regional and global scales Gretchen LeBuhn and co-authors outline a simple method for a global network of people monitoring bee populations to form an early warning system alerting scientists to dangers threatening the world’s food system and economies. The study found that counting and identifying bees, using seven different methods of sampling, regularly for five years in 200 locations, would produce data accurate enough to detect a 2-5% annual decline in bee populations. The monitoring programme would cost an estimated US$2 (€1.5) million and includes international sampling sites, although it could be scaled to fit different regional monitoring needs. The cost is a relatively small investment compared to the potential economic cost of severe pollinator losses: 35% of the global food supply depends on bees and other pollinators, including crops worth US$200 (€150) billion each year. The study explains that a monitoring programme must be simple, repeatable, inexpensive, and, most importantly, have the ability to quickly detect declines if they are occurring. The proposed system relies on paid workers around the globe to count and identify bees using simple pan traps, in which bees are attracted to a brightlycoloured pan filled with liquid. To determine scalable sampling techniques, costs and time scales for completing the work, the researchers designed simulations using data from 11 previously published multi-year studies. The research was funded by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The programme has already been used in Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan and South Africa, with support from the Global Environment Facility and UN Environment Programme. LeBuhn said the long-term goal of the project is to establish a network of monitoring stations to provide data for global analysis and to centralise data collection so that people who are counting bees regionally can contribute to a larger data set. LeBuhn is known also for organising the annual Great Sunflower Project when 100,000 citizen-scientists volunteers across North America count bee populations in their own backyards. The project, now in its fifth year, found low numbers of bees in urban areas across the USA adding weight to the theory that habitat loss is one of the primary reasons for sharp population declines.
The EU has launched a ban on three widely used neonicitinoid1 pesticides that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says pose “high acute risks” to pollinators. Member States are requested to suspend for two years the use of these pesticides on seeds, granular atom sprays and for crops that attract bees – cotton, maize rape and sunflower. After a vote on the two-year ban the Commission hopes to have a proposal ready by March and law by 1 July 2013. Source: Arthur Neslen, www.Euractive.com Neonicotinoids are insecticides that affect the central nervous system of insects, causing paralysis and death. A number of recent studies have suggested that exposure to neonicotinoids at sub-lethal doses can have significant negative effects on bee health and bee colonies. 1
EFSA MEETINGS Scientific Colloquium to discuss holistic approaches to the risk assessment of multiple stressors in bees EFSA will share and debate developments in bee health risk assessment with a range of stakeholders and scientific experts at national, European and international levels on 15-16 May 2013. Discussion will cover issues including: protection of pollination services; monitoring of bee colonies and testing stressors in bees; and assessment of multiple stressors to bees including chemicals and diseases. Stakeholders wishing to attend can register their interest online.
Workshop on the risk assessment of plant protection products on bees A one-day workshop in September 2013 will present to Member States, applicants and all stakeholders the new EFSA guidance on the Risk Assessment of Plant Protection Products on Bees (Apis mellifera, Bombus spp and solitary bees), which is due to be published in May, following a second round of public consultation. How to register for the event will be published in May.
Philip Riley, San Francisco State University Communications Citation: Lebuhn, G., Droege, S., Connor, E. F., Gemmill-Herren, B., Potts, S. G., Minckley, R. L., Griswold, T., Jean, R., Kula, E., Roubik, D. W., Cane, J., Wright, K. W., Frankie, G. and Parker, F. (2012), Detecting Insect Pollinator Declines on Regional and Global Scales. Conservation Biology. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01962.
Source: www.efsa.europa.eu/en/events/event/130515.htm
NOTICE BOARD FUNDING FROM FAO TeleFood Special Fund Beekeepers’ groups and associations may apply for project funding of up to US$10,000. Request documents should include a brief description of project objectives, proposed food production or income-generating activities, work plan, number of participants, detailed list of inputs with cost estimates and reporting arrangements. See www.fao.org 1% for Development Fund Small grants enable community based beekeeping projects in developing countries to get off the ground. Applicants must define clear objectives and describe how they are to be attained. Email One-Per-Cent-Fund@FAO.org 75 YEARS 2013 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Biodynamic Association the oldest sustainable agriculture organisation in the USA See www.biodynamics.com GRANTS TO SCIENTISTS IFS Research Grants are for citizens of a developing country who are scientists under 40 years of age, with at least a Master’s or equivalent degree or research experience and attached to a university, national research institution or research-orientated NGO in a developing country. See www.ifs.se 15
