Key tropical crops at risk from pollinator loss due to climate change and land use

Sci Adv. 2023 Oct 13;9(41):eadh0756. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adh0756. Epub 2023 Oct 12.

Abstract

Insect pollinator biodiversity is changing rapidly, with potential consequences for the provision of crop pollination. However, the role of land use-climate interactions in pollinator biodiversity changes, as well as consequent economic effects via changes in crop pollination, remains poorly understood. We present a global assessment of the interactive effects of climate change and land use on pollinator abundance and richness and predictions of the risk to crop pollination from the inferred changes. Using a dataset containing 2673 sites and 3080 insect pollinator species, we show that the interactive combination of agriculture and climate change is associated with large reductions in insect pollinators. As a result, it is expected that the tropics will experience the greatest risk to crop production from pollinator losses. Localized risk is highest and predicted to increase most rapidly, in regions of sub-Saharan Africa, northern South America, and Southeast Asia. Via pollinator loss alone, climate change and agricultural land use could be a risk to human well-being.

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture
  • Animals
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change*
  • Crops, Agricultural*
  • Ecosystem
  • Humans
  • Insecta
  • Pollination