To save Earth's food supply, we need to first save pollinators, report says By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.13.16 Word Count 751

A bumblebee gathers nectar on a wildflower in Appleton, Maine. A United Nations report warns that too many species of pollinators are nearing extinction. These include bees, butterflies, some birds and other species that are crucial to the world’s food supply. AP/Robert F. Bukaty

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Many species of wild bees, butterflies and other pollinators are heading toward extinction. The world needs to do something about it before our food supply suffers, a new United Nations (U.N.) report warns.

The 20,000 or so species of pollinators are key to hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of crops each year. These range from fruits and vegetables to coffee and chocolate. Yet 2 out of 5 species of invertebrate pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are dying out, said the report. Pollinators with backbones, like hummingbirds and bats, are only slightly better off. Just 1 in 6 of these vertebrate species face extinction.

"We are in a period of decline and there are going to be increasing consequences," said the report's lead author Simon Potts. It is the first report to take a look at such a large number of insects. He is a professor at the University of Reading in England.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1 Honeybees Faring Better Than Wild Creatures

The problem is not just about honeybees. There has been a steep decline of honeybees in the United States over many years. Still in some ways they're doing better than many wild insects, like the bumblebee.

The trouble is the report can't point to a single cause. There are many culprits. One is a change in farming so there's not enough different kinds of crops and wild flowers for pollinators to use as food. Pesticide use has increased, including a controversial one, called neonicotinoid that makes it hard for bees to fly and find their way. Insects have seen their habitats taken over by cities, and been struck by disease and global warming — the heating up of the earth's climate.

The report is the result of more than two years of work by scientists across the globe. They got together to look at living creatures on earth, starting with the pollinators. The UN has taken a similar look at global warming. Scientists put together a report to tell world leaders what's happening and give them options for what can be done.

The report is based on many scientific studies. It was approved by representatives of 124 nations meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday.

Changes Are Simple And Don't Cost Much

There is still time to fix the problems, the study concluded. Most of the solutions involve changing the way farms are run and are relatively simple and inexpensive, said David Inouye of the University of Maryland. He helped write a couple chapters in the report.

One of the biggest problems, especially in the United States, is that giant areas of farmland grow just one crop. Also wildflowers are disappearing, Potts and others said. Wild pollinators especially do well on grasslands, and 97 percent of Europe's grasslands have disappeared since 1945, Potts said.

England now pays farmers to plant wildflowers for bees, Watson said.

There are several problems with some pesticides, which kill bugs, according to the report. Herbicides kill off weeds, which are useful for wild pollinators, the report added.

Global Warming And Insecticides

The report said the insecticide neonicotinoid reduces wild bees' chances for survival.

Christian Maus is the global pollinator safety manager for Bayer, which makes neonicotinoids. Maus said the problem is complicated. "Protecting pollinators and providing a growing population with safe, abundant food will require collaboration."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2 Potts said global warming is "very clearly a real future risk." England has seen one-quarter of its bumblebee species threatened. Out of all the different types of bees, bumblebees are most affected by climate change, he said.

Bumblebee Species Dying Out

England has lost two species of wild bumblebees to extinction. One bumblebee species in the U.S. has died out, Inouye said.

The story of honeybees is a bit mixed. A managed honeybee hive is kept by humans either as a hobby or as a farming business. Over the last 50 years, the number of managed honeybee hives has increased around the world. However, the number has dropped in North America and Europe, where there is the most information available, the report said.

Potts said the number of managed hives in the United States dropped from 5.5 million in 1961 to a low of 2.5 million in 2012.

Dennis vanEngelsdorp is a University of Maryland bee expert. He praised the report for looking at the bigger picture beyond just honeybees.

Doing something is extremely important, said vanEngelsdorp.

"If we want to say we can feed the world in 2050, pollinators are going to be part of that," he said.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3 Quiz

1 Which sentence from the section "Bumblebee Species Dying Out" BEST supports the idea that bumblebees are in trouble?

(A) A managed honeybee hive is kept by humans either as a hobby or as a farming business.

(B) Over the last 50 years, the number of managed honeybee hives has increased around the world.

(C) Potts said the number of managed hives in the United States dropped from 5.5 million in 1961 to a low of 2.5 million in 2012.

(D) He praised the report for looking at the bigger picture beyond just honeybees.

2 Based on information in the article, which of these statements is TRUE?

(A) Pollinators are only important to a few types of crops.

(B) No group of pollinators have become extinct yet, but they are close.

(C) Humans are part of the reason why pollinators are dying off.

(D) There are only a few countries that support the report about pollinators.

3 What is a MAIN idea of the section "Bumblebee Species Dying Out"?

(A) Something must be done to save the bees.

(B) Both England and the United States now have fewer bees than before.

(C) The report looked at honeybees and bumblebees.

(D) Experts have reviewed the report about bees.

4 Which detail would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?

(A) Yet 2 out of 5 species of invertebrate pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are dying out, said the report.

(B) Most of the solutions involve changing the way farms are run and are relatively simple and inexpensive, said David Inouye of the University of Maryland.

(C) Out of all the different types of bees, bumblebees are most affected by climate change, he said.

(D) Dennis vanEngelsdorp is a University of Maryland bee expert. He praised the report for looking at the bigger picture beyond just honeybees.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4