Request for collaboration between FAO and Promote Pollinators
The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) conferred between the 27th of September and the 1st of October. Much to our pleasure pollinators and pollination had a strong position in the discussions. The CGRFA discussed the study ‘on sustainable use and conservation of invertebrate pollinators, including honey bees’. The study was conducted by a selection of leading experts in the field of pollination. It gives an insight of the status and trends regarding a number of relevant issues regarding pollinators such as the abundance of pollinators, the drivers of their decline, management practices, and policies.
The Commission noted that follow-up actions are needed in response to the findings and recommendations of the study. It invited countries and requested FAO to ensure that the findings of the study are taken into consideration in its work relevant to pollinators and in the implementation of the International Pollinator Initiative, and to ensure that regional specificities in terms of main pollinators and food crops are taken into consideration. Activities may include increased capacity building and training of farmers and other relevant stakeholders in order to promote agricultural practices that favour sustainable pollination management and/or assess how pollinators could be used to foster sustainable production. The Commission also requested FAO to continue its support to the International Pollinator Initiative and collaborate with pollinator initiatives and networks, such as Promote Pollinators, and encourage increased engagement. Promote Pollinators welcomes this initiative. We will further develop this together with FAO.
Other relevant decisions by the CGRFA
The CGRFA invited countries to promote research and knowledge sharing on pollinators, drivers of pollinator decline and impacts of management practices on pollinators. It further invited countries to promote the sustainable use and conservation of invertebrate pollinators, ensure invertebrate pollinators are given due consideration in local, national, regional and international policies and policy development processes, and report national data on the diversity of managed honey bees to DAD-IS.
The CGRFA requested FAO to consider the need for, and modalities of, a global pollinator platform to address pollinators and pollination services at global level, and to report on this matter to the Commission at its next session. It noted that such a platform should facilitate and coordinate international, regional and national action, promote capacity building, support reference studies at regional and national levels, collect and share information on the conservation and sustainable use of pollinator genetic resources and agree on activities at global scale in line with and in support of existing activities and initiatives, in particular the International Pollinator Initiative and any further work on pollinators that the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services may undertake.