2023-11-01 18:55:19
Globally, an estimated 75% of crops rely to some extent on animal pollination. Here, a bee feeds on coffee flower pollen. Igor do Vale / Igor do Vale/Sipa USA via Reuter
DECRYPTION – The disappearance of insects will affect yields more markedly in tropical regions.
Coffee, cocoa, mango and watermelon will, within a few decades, regain their place in the aisles dedicated to luxury products. The cause: the decline of pollinating insects which allow these plants to reproduce and contribute to the good yield of their crop. If it affects all regions of the planet, the disappearance of these invertebrates will in fact be more pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa, in northern South America and in Southeast Asia, according to a study published in October in the journal Science Advances . In other words, in the areas where these tropical crops flourish today.
To arrive at this finding, the researchers overlaid data on global temperatures, insect abundance and land use changes, from a database including more than 2,500 sites around the world. After identifying more than 3,000 species of pollinators (bees, wasps, flies, beetles, etc.), they noticed…
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