Environmental policies to protect pollinators: attributes and actions needed to avert climate borne crisis of oil seed agriculture in Pakistan

A. Burhan; G. Rasul; T. Qadir; S. Hussain; M. Saqib; S.A.A. Bukhari; A. Burhan; G. Rasul; T. Qadir; S. Hussain; M. Saqib; S.A.A. Bukhari

doi:10.3934/agrfood.2017.3.233

AIMS Agriculture and Food

2017, Volume 2, Issue 3: 233-250. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2017.3.233

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Research article

Environmental policies to protect pollinators: attributes and actions needed to avert climate borne crisis of oil seed agriculture in Pakistan

1.
Pakistan Meteorological Department, H-8/2, Islamabad, Pakistan
2.
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

Received: 14 April 2017 Accepted: 26 June 2017 Published: 28 July 2017

The impact of climate change on oil seed crop is getting more and more pronounced with each passing day, resulting in reduced crop yields in Pakistan. Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy, however it is subjected to severe climatic vulnerabilities like floods, droughts, and changing rainfall patterns. Climate change has a marked influence on the population and distribution of pollinators. Extreme weather events can further aggravate the situation by causing high overwintering losses. Less roving pollinators, such as small beetles and ground nesting bees, may be among the most severely affected by flooding and gusts. Extreme conditions not only can disrupt the livelihoods of individual insects, but can also negatively impact entire colonies or local populations. It is recommended to take offensive measures to address these issues, otherwise the area under oil seed crops may decrease resulting in poor market stability index. Moreover, in this regard, there is desperate need to aggressively explore opportunities of capacity building and institutional strengthening to address the climate change issues in Pakistan. Through this review, it is hoped that a proactive risk assessment approach to climate change can assist the Government in making strategies against the losses of pollinator services in Pakistan.
- oil seed crops; climate change; pollinator
Citation: A. Burhan, G. Rasul, T. Qadir, S. Hussain, M. Saqib, S.A.A. Bukhari. Environmental policies to protect pollinators: attributes and actions needed to avert climate borne crisis of oil seed agriculture in Pakistan[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2017, 2(3): 233-250. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2017.3.233

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Abstract

The impact of climate change on oil seed crop is getting more and more pronounced with each passing day, resulting in reduced crop yields in Pakistan. Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy, however it is subjected to severe climatic vulnerabilities like floods, droughts, and changing rainfall patterns. Climate change has a marked influence on the population and distribution of pollinators. Extreme weather events can further aggravate the situation by causing high overwintering losses. Less roving pollinators, such as small beetles and ground nesting bees, may be among the most severely affected by flooding and gusts. Extreme conditions not only can disrupt the livelihoods of individual insects, but can also negatively impact entire colonies or local populations. It is recommended to take offensive measures to address these issues, otherwise the area under oil seed crops may decrease resulting in poor market stability index. Moreover, in this regard, there is desperate need to aggressively explore opportunities of capacity building and institutional strengthening to address the climate change issues in Pakistan. Through this review, it is hoped that a proactive risk assessment approach to climate change can assist the Government in making strategies against the losses of pollinator services in Pakistan.

References

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