March 27, 2017 | Ecology Letters |
Introduction: Human land use has already altered roughly 53% of Earth's terrestrial surface, and agricultural land is projected to expand a further 10% by 2030, intensifying pressure on pollinators even as solutions reconciling conservation with food production remain underused. This review and synthesis by an European led research team asks whether ecological intensification (EI) — replacing chemical inputs with biodiversity-based ecosystem services such as intercropping, crop rotation, and reduced agrochemical use — can reverse pollinator decline.
Key findings: Most EI practices reviewed have positive effects on pollinator diversity and abundance, supporting EI as a viable alternative to conventional intensification. Landscape-scale management, rather than farm-scale action alone, better improves pollinator habitat availability but requires coordination among farmers' land-use decisions. Three knowledge gaps are identified: long-term effects of land-use change on pollinator communities are poorly understood; the minimum pollinator diversity needed to sustain crop yield and wild-plant reproduction is unclear; and EI's financial costs, benefits, and return on investment remain insufficiently documented. The authors review agri-environment schemes, the EU's Ecological Focus Areas, and US Farm Bill programs (e.g., EQIP), noting a shift toward "payment by results" as a promising but untested instrument. They call for regionally tailored solutions, stronger farmer-scientist-policymaker dialogue, and integration of agricultural, ecological, economic, and social science to scale EI globally.
