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at-dowh · 6 years ago

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POST 3: Human & Bee

Namaste! (Greetings in Hindi)

“From a long time I was struggling to write something informative yet triggering about the biodiversity that we have on this earth with which we are unable to maintain a harmonious and healthy relationship lately. And by mentioning the term ‘lately’ I want to emphasize the period of decades when we started to disturb the equilibrium of our ecosystem.

While I was reading about the continuous loss of our biodiversity, I came across many reasons why we are losing our precious biodiversity. And the question is not only about the biodiversity because the gradual decrease in biodiversity is leading to the ultimate extinction of mankind in another century.

So, a question hit my conscious mind which is, if mankind is such a selfish species, so much self- possessive that they can do anything to sustain themselves and fill their unsatisfying needs then why can’t they understand their gradual doomsday and work a little selfish in this manner to save the biodiversity and so the mankind.”

Do you see bees, butterflies or wasps these days? Have they gone extinct? Or just flew away to a better sustainable place for them to live and breed?

The ecosystem is made up of all the species but due to being placed at the highest level in the food chain and intelligence over all the other species, humans have thrived to a certain point that ecosystem is no more an ecosystem. Due to abundant anti-environmental man-made practices, the ecosystem has turned to be a 'human-system'. Pollination, a process that we have studied in our biology textbooks in middle school and at that point of time we were not much aware of the fact that pollinators are the organisms responsible for the proper functioning of the ecosystem which is an essential element to human life. In simple terms, pollinators are organisms who visit the flower for its nectar and move pollen grain from one male flowering plant to another female flowering plant in order to produce fruit for us. Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes: bees, butterflies, beetles, birds, and bats etc.

Have you ever wondered if there are no pollinators? Unfortunately, the food and agricultural practices will soon be shut and we will be dying due to famine. Pollinators, which are necessary for 75% of food crops, are declining globally in both abundance and diversity. Bees, in particular, are thought to be necessary for the fertilization of up to 90% of the world's 107 most important human food crops. An estimated 87.5% of the world's flowering plant species are animal-pollinated, and 35% of crop production and 60% of crop plant species depend on animal pollinators. Only 10% of all flowering plant does not rely on pollinators but others do. Imagine a time without these food plants such as tomatoes, eggplant, beans, peas, peppers, melons, apples, cucumbers, and pears which are in existence due to natural pollinators.

Pollination is one of the most important mechanisms in the maintenance and promotion of biodiversity and life on Earth. Pollinators and pollination are critical for food production and human livelihoods, and directly link wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems. We are continuously creating a problem for us and presently, the abundance, diversity and health of pollinators and the provision of pollination are threatened by direct drivers, including habitat fragmentation and land use change, intensive agricultural practices, pesticides, parasites and diseases, invasive alien species and climate change. Due to all such man-made practices, the presence of bees started to vanish, The bee population has been on a decline in recent years. Some species were added to the endangered list in 2017 (seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees) and 2018 (The rusty-patched bumblebee, Bombus affinis) so as to protect and revive their numbers. Also, the loss of diversity and changes to seasonal turnover (e.g. due to climate change) of bee species may threaten plant pollination in the community and potentially even crops that rely on wild bee species for pollination.

Ominous reports of bee colonies collapsing seemingly without reason have been reported around the world at least since 2006. Reports of species extinctions have become increasingly common in the last few decades, but the case of bees has particularly alarming implications for human existence. For much of the past ten years, beekeepers, primarily in the United States and Europe, have been reporting annual hive losses of 30 per cent or higher, substantially more than is considered normal or sustainable. In fact, one in four wild bee species in the U.S. is at risk of extinction. Worldwide bee populations are in decline, including the honey bee and many of our wild native bees. However, the current decline of pollinators and pollination has increased awareness of the value and appropriate management of this important ecosystem service. Moving towards more sustainable actions such as diversifying the agricultural landscape with different crops and conservation of natural areas; growing native and wildflowers in parks, gardens and agricultural landscapes to provide food and home for pollinators; reducing the use of pesticides and promoting alternative forms of pest control can offer key strategic responses to risks associated with pollinator decline.

Did you know, that it takes a bee it's an entire lifetime to produce a spoonful of honey! The truth is, honeybees are crucial elements of our environment, and almost never get the credit that they deserve. We must be thankful to all the bees who buzz around us many a time because they give us so many reasons to be thankful for such as; fruits, vegetables, honey, clothing, gardens, trees etc. even if we feel irritated and itchy by their stings.

The shift in our present actions can at least create a space of chance for our future survival. We can reduce the use of pesticides, stop exploiting natural landscapes and resources, stop extracting honey in an unnatural way, avoid watering plants in the bee service time (early morning) as it may fall the pollen grain from stigma, rather grow diverse wildflowers and native plants around us, create beehives, create more pollinator-friendly spaces and help keep their local pollinator community diverse, healthy and beautiful.

If we tend to contribute to the bee crisis more, we ultimately continue to contribute to our own demise as due to pesticides the food and agriculture system security is already at risk and with the bee/ pollinator crisis we are underpinning to the loss of food and agriculture services. Initially, we'll face less crop production, famine, hunger, poverty and then drought, soil erosion, deforestation, no rainfall, no freshwater. Soon after few years, we'll be suffering from thirst, starvation, lack of fertility and ultimately we will also go extinct after bees.

So if you see a bee next time, acknowledge its presence and appreciate its efforts even if it still put that sting on your skin. Or maybe you could do one last thing before your extinction - protect & preserve bees for your future generations (if they would exist) to let them know this potential creature was a source of our life! Keep in touch for more. Comments will be appreciated. Kindly help me share and reblog my initiative together.

Alvida & Khushamdeed !! (Cheers in Hindi & Urdu)

(Disclaimer: I have a habit of writing. I write anything and possibly everything that fascinates my thinking. My writing involves 100% my opinions and views with regard to the topic and I like them expressing with people to know if they share the same mental level. (I have no intention to hurt anyone and I hold myself responsible for my words only).Well interestingly, my writing helps me connect with myself and offers me a combination of answers to my why and how. What about you?) (Inspiration: < http://tiny.cc/xpgd9y>, < http://sciabc.us/9PpyLG >, < http://tiny.cc/usgd9y>, < http://tiny.cc/dtgd9y>)

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