Decline of Crop-Pollinating Bees May Cause Human Malnutrition

Bees don't just produce honey; they also pollinate flowers that yield fruit and other produce. Now, scientists have found that if crop-pollinating insects like bees continue to decline, more than half of the people in some developing countries may be at risk for malnutrition.

"The take-home is: pollinator declines can really matter to human health, with quite scary numbers for vitamin A deficiencies, for example," said Taylor Ricketts, co-leader of the new study, in a news release. "which can lead to blindness and increases death rates for some diseases, including malaria."

In this latest study, the researchers examined the potential human health impacts of animal pollinator declines. They found that in some populations, like parts of Mozambique where many children and mothers are barely able to meet their needs for micronutrients, the disappearance of pollinators could push as many as 56 percent of people over the edge into malnutrition.

"This is the first study that quantifies the potential human health impacts of animal pollinator declines," said Samuel Myers, one of the researchers. "But to evaluate whether pollinator declines will really affect human nutrition, you need to know what people are eating."

Countries that are already on the brink could be pushed over the edge as pollinators decline. Human health could be impacted drastically as malnutrition spread.

"We find really alarming effects in some countries for some nutrients and little to no effect elsewhere," said Ricketts. "Ecosystem damage can damage human health, so conservation can be thought of as an investment in public health."

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.