Case study
Impacts of pesticides on pollinators and pollination in Africa
In Africa, there is a high demand for pollination for many crops. At the same time, pollinators are exposed to similar environmental pressures that have been associated with declines elsewhere in the world, e.g., habitat transformation or fragmentation, loss of diversity and abundance of floral resources, inappropriate use of pesticides, spread of pests and diseases, and climate change. Despite the economic importance of insect-pollinated crops, data on the pattern and amount of pesticide use in Africa are also very difficult to obtain and almost impossible to estimate for any single African country due to a lack of detailed lists of imports into these countries. The environmental impact of pesticides on pollinators has been reported by local farmers through the observation of the abundance of bees that populate their hives or through fluctuations in honey production.