With programs around the globe, the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health strives to sustain a healthier world by developing and implementing proactive, science-based solutions to challenges at the interface of wildlife health, domestic animal health, human health and livelihoods, and the environment that supports us all.
This session focuses on insect pollinators — a group which includes bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles, flies, and ants — and on efforts to reverse the worrying population declines described in the popular press as part of the “insect apocalypse.” For the purposes of our discussion, we will focus primarily on wild bees, domestic honey bees (a non-native invasive species in North America), and butterflies.
While many factors contribute to pollinator decline, including habitat loss, climate change, and disease, one of the most significant drivers is the widespread use of insecticides. From a human‑centric perspective, the loss of insect pollinators could lead to production losses of up to 90% for crops that rely heavily on them, such as cocoa beans, Brazil nuts, kiwis, and various melons. Many other crops, including numerous fruits and nuts, are also highly dependent on insect pollinators. This dimension of the biodiversity crisis, like so many others, has profound implications for human nutrition, health, and economies.
