Bee conservation policy at the global, regional and national levels

Abstract

Bees are important both ecologically and economically for the ecosystem service role they play as pollinators. Documented global decline in bees has sparked the formation of a global policy framework for pollinators, primarily through the International Pollinator Initiative within the Convention of Biological Diversity. There are now regional Pollinator Initiatives, along with regional and national conservation legislation, that can impact on the conservation of bees. The creation of bee Regional Red Lists, under guidance from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, along with conservation priority lists offer another mechanism for streamlining bees into regional, national or subnational conservation policy and practice. These structures, if utilised properly, can form a coordinated and effective policy framework on which conservation actions can be based.