Europe: Conflicting Laws Threaten Biodiversity and Food Security
EU laws are working against the protection of pollinators that they themselves call for
Europe is standing in its own way when it comes to protecting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Researchers warn of serious consequences for biodiversity and food security.
A new strategy paper by eight major European research consortia identifies risks to species conservation, ecosystem functions, and food security in the EU and beyond—should the Union fail to halt the decline of wild pollinators and promote pollinator management.
A key obstacle to the effective protection of pollinators is said to be conflicting policy regulations: the Common Agricultural Policy and the Biodiversity Strategy 2030.
The report was authored by a team of 135 leading researchers from fields including ecology, economics, political science, and environmental law. Among the authors are Professor Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter and Jie Zhang from the Chair of Zoology III (Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology) at the Biozentrum of the University of Würzburg.
The policy paper was published in the journal *Advances in Pollinator Research*. It shows that although the EU has officially declared insect conservation a goal, it does not follow a consistent approach. While some regulations call for the preservation of nature, others promote intensive agriculture and the use of pesticides.
Why Pollinators Are Vital to Human Survival
Insect conservation is more than just a concern for nature lovers. It is a matter of economic and health security: if pollinators disappear, the food supply is at risk.
The researchers’ figures are clear: 80 to 90 percent of all wild plants and 75 percent of the most important crop plants rely on insects for pollination. Without them, there would be hardly any fruit, vegetables, or nuts. Already today, three to five percent of food crops are missing worldwide because there are no longer enough pollinators in many regions.
The loss of insects would also have serious financial consequences. A lack of pollination would cost Europe an estimated 24 billion euros annually.
“We must realize that protecting insects is a necessary investment in our own future,” says Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter. “It’s about preserving the fundamental conditions for a stable society, a healthy diet, and intact ecosystems. We cannot afford to do nothing.”
Insects Face Death by a Thousand Cuts
The authors of the strategy paper advocate closing the gap between scientific knowledge and political action. They identify several factors that are simultaneously harming insects:
• intensive land use and soil sealing (which reduces habitat),
• the use of pesticides (plant protection products), the release of microplastics and other substances into the environment,
• excessive nitrogen in the environment (overfertilization reduces biodiversity),
• and climate change, as well as heat waves and droughts.
Experts refer to this as “death by a thousand cuts,” as many different stresses combine to pose a lethal threat.
They also see a problem in the “blind spot” of policy: laws often focus on bees and butterflies. However, the fact that moths, beetles, flies, and—in the EU’s overseas territories—even bats play an important role in pollination is often overlooked in the regulations.
Solutions and Outlook: What Needs to Change
Research findings from JMU and other institutions make it clear that a systemic change is necessary. Policy must continue to evolve toward recognizing biodiversity as an integral part of social, economic, and ecological resilience.
The strategy paper sets out 15 recommendations in three key areas to reverse the decline of pollinators:
1\. Consistent Laws: Policy goals must be coordinated. It is unacceptable to plan for insect protection while simultaneously promoting the use of harmful chemicals through subsidies.
2\. Strengthen education: In professions related to agriculture, landscape planning, and urban development, knowledge about the needs of insects must be better integrated.
3\. Local collaboration: Agriculture, beekeeping, and nature conservation organizations must be involved in the planning of protective measures from the very beginning to ensure they work in practice.
About the Authors
The authors of the strategy paper represent eight major EU-funded research consortia: Butterfly, VALOR, PollinERA, WildPosh, AGRI4POL, ProPollSoil, RestPoll, and Safeguard. All of them focus on pollination-related topics.
Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter coordinates the Safeguard consortium. This consortium investigates the causes of pollinator decline as well as its ecological, economic, and societal impacts. The consortium partners develop management and policy guidelines for the protection of wild pollinators.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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