Death of insect pollinators: Research and regulatory policy needs in India and other developing countries

There is a rising global concern about declining insect pollinator populations. Pollinator loss has serious consequences on crop production since approximately 70% of crops in the world are dependent upon pollinating insects. Mounting evidence attributes this decline to factors associated with agricultural intensification such as indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides and loss of semi-natural habitats from agricultural landscape. Developing countries in the global south are undergoing large-scale agricultural intensification even at varying paces. This intensification drive is bound to impact pollinating insects. However, the available information on the loss of pollinating insect populations is still mostly from the economically developed western countries and little is known from most of the developing countries in the global south. Evidence from India suggests that chronic exposure to pesticides has caused oxidative stress causing apoptotic cell death, impaired olfaction and visual acuity from pesticide-induced neural damage in its native honeybees. There is evidence of threats to the vast diversity of wild solitary bees too. Our research has also found evidence of pollination service loss causing potential yield-drop in economically important crops due to the decline of semi-natural habitats from the agricultural landscape. However, there exist large research gaps from most parts of the developing world about how pesticides and other major drivers impact insect pollinator populations. There are large gaps in the regulatory policy framework too in India and in many developing countries. This paper will highlight these research and policy gaps.