For too long, we've taken the little creatures that buzz and flutter around us for granted. However, a closer look reveals an intricate world, one where the survival of our ecosystems and even our own well-being is inextricably linked to the humble bee, the busy fly, and other essential pollinators. In the wake of World Environment Day 2025, an event hosted by E3, Trinity College Dublin to celebrate World Environment Day as part of its Balanced Solutions For A Better World online webinar series, a day focused on tackling the urgent issue of plastic pollution which, as recent international research alarmingly shows, now permeates every corner of our planet, even the human brain, it's vital that we also turn our attention to the other critical environmental challenges facing our world. One such challenge is the plight of our pollinators.
At this event, we're delving into this world with Professor Jane Stout, a distinguished professor of ecology from Dublin's Trinity College. A leading advocate for biodiversity, Jane’s expertise in pollinator ecology and her work as a co-founder of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan are instrumental in guiding our understanding. Jane's journey began in the rural Midlands of England, surrounded by farmland but initially unenthusiastic about insects. That changed during her university years at Southampton, where she began to study insects and how they contribute to pest control. This led her to bees, and a fascination with their complex interactions with flowers.
The Busy Bee and Its Cousins
Pollinators are animals that transfer pollen between flowers, a process that enables plants to produce fruit and seeds. It's often an unintended consequence of their search for food. While we often think of honeybees, they are not the only, or even the most common, pollinators. Worldwide, there are over 20,000 species of bees, a number four times greater than all the mammal species on Earth. Most of these bees are solitary, living alone and provisioning their own nests rather than in large colonies. From the tiny, stingless bees of the tropics to the giant Wallace’s bee which, at up to 38mm, makes its home in the nests of termites, the diversity is incredible.
Yet, bees are just a part of the story. Many other insects, including flies, butterflies, moths, and beetles, also play a crucial role. These insects, each with their own unique traits, behaviours, and preferences, form a complex network of interactions with plants. A single plant is often pollinated by multiple animal species, and a single animal species will visit many different plants. It's this complex web of interactions that makes our ecosystems resilient.
Pollinators and Our Food
The importance of these networks cannot be overstated. A staggering three-quarters of the world's major food crops rely on animal pollination. While our staple carbohydrates like wheat and rice are not among them, the fruits, vegetables, nuts, and spices that provide us with essential vitamins and nutrients are. In Ireland, crops like strawberries and cherries depend on these services, as do global commodities such as coffee, chocolate, and shea. This connection extends far beyond just what we eat. The management of habitats for pollinators has widespread socioeconomic impacts, influencing global markets and the livelihoods of communities around the world.
However, pollinator populations are in decline. Data from Western Europe and North America paint a stark picture. In Britain, a third of all wild bees and hoverflies are in decline, and in Ireland, 30% of our 100 native bee species are at risk of extinction. The reasons are multifaceted and familiar: habitat loss, leaving insects with nowhere to live; a decline in wildflowers, leaving them with nothing to eat; and the impact of pesticides and novel diseases. These challenges are set against the backdrop of climate change, which introduces more frequent and severe weather events that disrupt the life cycles of insects.
The Irish Landscape
In Ireland, 70% of the land is used for agriculture, with much of it being green grasslands. While visually appealing, these fields are often a monoculture of ryegrass, providing very little for pollinators. It’s the hedgerows and other unfarmed areas that are lifelines for these creatures. Research has shown that a diversity of landscape features, hedges for bumblebees, ditches for hoverflies, is essential for promoting a diversity of pollinators.
The use of pesticides and other synthetic chemicals poses a significant threat. Research from Trinity College has shown that bees are exposed to pesticide residues in both wild and crop plants, which in turn affects their behaviour and reproductive success. These are not just insecticides; herbicides and fungicides also form a dangerous "cocktail" that is detrimental to bee health. Even naturally occurring toxins, like those found in the invasive plant Rhododendron ponticum, can have species-specific impacts, killing some bee species while leaving others unaffected.
It's clear that the health of our pollinators is a powerful indicator of the health of our planet. Protecting them means protecting the intricate ecological processes that support all life on Earth.
Beyond Economic Value: Why We Should Care
This vital ecological role goes much further than crop pollination and the economic benefits that follow. Plants form the very foundation of our ecosystems, and in a place like County Wicklow, most native plant species rely on animal pollination. When we consider the conservation and restoration of nature, we must recognise its multiple values.
There's the intrinsic value, where nature is worth protecting for its own sake. Then there are the instrumental values, the practical benefits we receive, such as clean air and water, timber, and flood protection. While these can sometimes be monetised, their true worth is often far greater, and they can be dangerously overlooked. Finally, we must acknowledge the relational values that speak to our deep connection with nature through culture, history, health, and aesthetics. Failing to recognise these diverse values risks making decisions that cause irreversible damage.
A Real and Present Danger
Our planet is now at a critical turning point. The concept of planetary boundaries, the nine environmental limits within which humanity can safely operate, has been updated. The sobering news is that six of these nine boundaries have already been transgressed. Our climate is on track for unprecedented warming, threatening the ecological systems that sustain us. The integrity of our biosphere, and the biodiversity that regulates essential material and energy flows, is being pushed to a point where it can no longer support humanity. This is not a future risk; it is a real and present danger.
For decades, scientists have known this, but it’s only recently that the wider world has begun to catch up. The World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Risks Report now lists biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as the second most severe long-term risk to humanity. Yet, it fails to appear in the short-term risk list. This lack of urgency is a significant problem, because a ten-year timeline will arrive sooner than we think.
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan: A Policy Success
To address these complex issues, a whole-of-society approach is needed. We have robust policy frameworks in place at a global and European level, including the European Nature Restoration Regulation, which mandates that we reverse the decline of pollinators by 2030. In Ireland, the National Biodiversity Action Plan highlights the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan as a core initiative.
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is a remarkable, island-wide initiative that has made pollinators a highly visible symbol for nature restoration. Since its inception, it has been embraced by local authorities, businesses, communities, and farmers across the country. Its success is rooted in a blend of strong science and a bottom-up approach. It provides evidence-based guidelines for different sectors, but its real power lies in the fact that people want to get involved, driven by a shared passion rather than obligation. This success has inspired other European nations and influenced wider EU biodiversity strategy.
As Professor Stout explains, her work continues to underpin this effort. Current research projects are testing the effectiveness of on-farm conservation measures, exploring new technologies for monitoring pollinators, and investigating the motivations and barriers for farmers taking up conservation actions.
What Can We Do?
So, what can the individual do beyond policy and farming? Professor Stout acknowledges the difficulty of making choices as a consumer. Standing in a supermarket, faced with a choice between locally grown and imported produce, organic and non-organic, is often overwhelming. She suggests that while we can try to make local and sustainable choices, the ultimate responsibility lies in changing economic systems that currently reward environmental damage. We must talk to our politicians and connect the cost-of-living crisis with the biodiversity crisis, as they are deeply intertwined.
In her work as Trinity’s Vice Provost for Biodiversity and Climate Action, Professor Stout is trying to lead this change. The college has implemented pollinator-friendly mowing regimes, planted ornamental meadows, and committed to becoming a nature-positive campus by 2030. This involves not only managing their own green spaces but also addressing the negative impacts of their wider operations and supply chains.
Ultimately, Professor Stout’s take-home message is that we need a whole-of-society approach. Diversity is key in all its forms, from bees to other pollinators, and in the plants they rely on. The risks of nature loss are critical, but we should also celebrate what nature gives us. The restoration of nature is not just a policy requirement; it is an opportunity to build a more resilient society. This is a task for everyone, not just ecologists, and it must be embedded in everything we do.