Uneven Global Response: Why Africa Must Strengthen Its Protection of Bees
Bees are among the most essential species on Earth, sustaining ecosystems, agriculture, and human nutrition through pollination. Without them, plant biodiversity would decline sharply, weakening ecosystems and food production.
Pollinator populations, particularly bees, are declining worldwide. Although most insect pollinators have not been assessed globally, regional and national assessments show high levels of threat, with more than 40% of some invertebrate pollinator groups threatened globally. Although the crisis is global, responses vary significantly between regions. According to the global pollinator assessment conducted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), urgent action is needed.
Sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions most vulnerable to crop-pollination shortfalls, especially as climate change, agricultural expansion and pesticide use intensify. However, limited monitoring means that pollinator declines remain under-documented in many African countries. This creates serious implications for food security and reflects deeper inequalities in environmental governance, research capacity, and economic priorities.
In contrast, several European countries, including Switzerland, have implemented concrete and coordinated measures to protect bee populations. Switzerland has translated scientific warnings into national policy. Although its approach is not perfect, activists and organizations have pushed for stronger policies, increased budget allocations, and stronger public attention, including through civil-society campaigns such as Initiative Abeilles.
Africa’s High Dependency, High Risk and Low Protection
Africa’s agricultural systems depend heavily on pollinators. For millions of smallholder farmers, pollination is not only an ecological service but central to their livelihoods. Crops such as coffee, mangoes, citrus fruits, and many vegetables benefit strongly from bee and insect pollination; cocoa also depends on insect pollination, mainly by small midges.
This vulnerability is driven by habitat loss from deforestation, charcoal production, and expanding monoculture farming. Climate change further disrupts flowering seasons and bee foraging patterns. Another major driver is pesticide use, including hazardous chemicals banned elsewhere. Weak monitoring systems and inadequate policy frameworks leave many declines undocumented, while protection efforts remain uncoordinated and lack legal support.
Pesticides are particularly concerning. A significant share of products sold in some African markets contain chemicals already banned in Europe and other regions. These pesticides are not only harmful to pollinators; they also pose short- and long-term risks to human health. Greenpeace Africa reports that 62% of registered pesticides in South Africa and 18% in Kenya are toxic to bees, while 28% of Ghana’s registered Highly Hazardous Pesticides fall into this category.
Switzerland: A Model for Africa on Pollinator Protection
Switzerland offers a stark contrast, marked by proactive governance, investment in science, and active public engagement. Following the global pollinator assessment published by IPBES, Switzerland joined Promote Pollinators, the Coalition of the Willing, and developed policy responses through its National Action Plan for Bee Health, broader biodiversity policy, pesticide-risk reduction measures, and agricultural biodiversity instruments.
Only four African countries are listed as part of the “Coalition of the Willing”: Burundi, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Nigeria. Considering the size of the continent and its high reliance on pollinators, this is a small fraction.
Together, these policies aim to protect bees and pollinators by integrating their conservation into agricultural, environmental, and land-use policy. Their core components include:
Pesticide-risk reduction measures, including restrictions on high-risk substances such as neonicotinoids.
Biodiversity promotion areas, including wildflower meadows, hedgerows, and ecological corridors.
Monitoring programs to track bee populations and overall ecosystem health.
Research support for universities and agricultural institutes.
Public awareness campaigns that promote pollinator-friendly gardening and farming practices.
Beyond Switzerland, the Netherlands also offers a strong example of coordinated policy, research investment, and community engagement. Its National Pollinator Strategy and the establishment of bee-friendly urban measures show how landscapes can be redesigned to support biodiversity.
Amsterdam has often been cited as seeing an increase in recorded wild bee species between 2000 and 2015. While this trend cannot be attributed to one policy alone, it followed measures such as green roofs, wildflower verges, and pesticide-free public spaces, showing how urban areas can become part of pollinator protection.
These models provide useful blueprints, but they cannot simply be copied. Pollinator strategies must be tailored to Africa’s diverse ecological and socio-economic conditions. A solution that works in East Africa may not work in West Africa, and even a strategy that works in Kenya may not apply to Tanzania, despite their geographical proximity.
Why the Gap?
The disparity between Africa and countries like Switzerland or the Netherlands goes beyond political will; it reflects structural differences. Financing is central: economic constraints limit investment in monitoring and regulation. Biodiversity budgets often compete with urgent development priorities, while limited research infrastructure hampers data collection.
Although Africa is least responsible for climate change, it faces some of the most severe impacts, which further intensify ecological stress. Africa contributes less than 4% of global emissions, yet it pays a high price for a crisis it did not create. Adaptation finance remains insufficient, has declined in recent reporting years, and rarely reaches frontline communities. Without more grant-based, locally accessible funding, Africa risks escalating poverty, displacement, and ecosystem collapse.
Weak pesticide regulations and limited enforcement capacity create another dangerous gap. Harmful chemicals circulate with little oversight, damaging beneficial insects, contaminating water sources, and disrupting ecological processes essential to healthy ecosystems.
Closing the Gap
Protecting bees is not only a regional or continental issue; it is critical for global food security. Africa’s pollinator vulnerability threatens biodiversity, farmer livelihoods, and the stability of agricultural markets. Urgent action is necessary.
Africa can begin by implementing National Pollinator Strategies aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity. Governments must also strengthen pesticide regulations so the continent does not become a dumping ground for harmful chemicals. Integrated pest management should be made a priority.
Governments should invest in research, monitoring, and evaluation to guide effective action. Without reliable scientific data, targeted responses will remain difficult. Habitat restoration through agroecology and landscape planning, especially in and around major cities, should also be expanded. International support, including technology transfer and financing, will be critical to closing the gap.
Bees are among the most essential species on Earth, sustaining ecosystems, agriculture, and human nutrition through pollination. Without them, plant biodiversity would decline sharply, weakening ecosystems and food production.
Pollinator populations, particularly bees, are declining worldwide. Although most insect pollinators have not been assessed globally, regional and national assessments show high levels of threat, with more than 40% of some invertebrate pollinator groups threatened globally. Although the crisis is global, responses vary significantly between regions. According to the global pollinator assessment conducted by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), urgent action is needed.
Sub-Saharan Africa is among the regions most vulnerable to crop-pollination shortfalls, especially as climate change, agricultural expansion and pesticide use intensify. However, limited monitoring means that pollinator declines remain under-documented in many African countries. This creates serious implications for food security and reflects deeper inequalities in environmental governance, research capacity, and economic priorities.
In contrast, several European countries, including Switzerland, have implemented concrete and coordinated measures to protect bee populations. Switzerland has translated scientific warnings into national policy. Although its approach is not perfect, activists and organizations have pushed for stronger policies, increased budget allocations, and stronger public attention, including through civil-society campaigns such as Initiative Abeilles.
Africa’s High Dependency, High Risk and Low Protection
Africa’s agricultural systems depend heavily on pollinators. For millions of smallholder farmers, pollination is not only an ecological service but central to their livelihoods. Crops such as coffee, mangoes, citrus fruits, and many vegetables benefit strongly from bee and insect pollination; cocoa also depends on insect pollination, mainly by small midges.
This vulnerability is driven by habitat loss from deforestation, charcoal production, and expanding monoculture farming. Climate change further disrupts flowering seasons and bee foraging patterns. Another major driver is pesticide use, including hazardous chemicals banned elsewhere. Weak monitoring systems and inadequate policy frameworks leave many declines undocumented, while protection efforts remain uncoordinated and lack legal support.
Pesticides are particularly concerning. A significant share of products sold in some African markets contain chemicals already banned in Europe and other regions. These pesticides are not only harmful to pollinators; they also pose short- and long-term risks to human health. Greenpeace Africa reports that 62% of registered pesticides in South Africa and 18% in Kenya are toxic to bees, while 28% of Ghana’s registered Highly Hazardous Pesticides fall into this category.
Switzerland: A Model for Africa on Pollinator Protection
Switzerland offers a stark contrast, marked by proactive governance, investment in science, and active public engagement. Following the global pollinator assessment published by IPBES, Switzerland joined Promote Pollinators, the Coalition of the Willing, and developed policy responses through its National Action Plan for Bee Health, broader biodiversity policy, pesticide-risk reduction measures, and agricultural biodiversity instruments.
Only four African countries are listed as part of the “Coalition of the Willing”: Burundi, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Nigeria. Considering the size of the continent and its high reliance on pollinators, this is a small fraction.
Together, these policies aim to protect bees and pollinators by integrating their conservation into agricultural, environmental, and land-use policy. Their core components include:
Pesticide-risk reduction measures, including restrictions on high-risk substances such as neonicotinoids.
Biodiversity promotion areas, including wildflower meadows, hedgerows, and ecological corridors.
Monitoring programs to track bee populations and overall ecosystem health.
Research support for universities and agricultural institutes.
Public awareness campaigns that promote pollinator-friendly gardening and farming practices.
Beyond Switzerland, the Netherlands also offers a strong example of coordinated policy, research investment, and community engagement. Its National Pollinator Strategy and the establishment of bee-friendly urban measures show how landscapes can be redesigned to support biodiversity.
Amsterdam has often been cited as seeing an increase in recorded wild bee species between 2000 and 2015. While this trend cannot be attributed to one policy alone, it followed measures such as green roofs, wildflower verges, and pesticide-free public spaces, showing how urban areas can become part of pollinator protection.
These models provide useful blueprints, but they cannot simply be copied. Pollinator strategies must be tailored to Africa’s diverse ecological and socio-economic conditions. A solution that works in East Africa may not work in West Africa, and even a strategy that works in Kenya may not apply to Tanzania, despite their geographical proximity.
Why the Gap?
The disparity between Africa and countries like Switzerland or the Netherlands goes beyond political will; it reflects structural differences. Financing is central: economic constraints limit investment in monitoring and regulation. Biodiversity budgets often compete with urgent development priorities, while limited research infrastructure hampers data collection.
Although Africa is least responsible for climate change, it faces some of the most severe impacts, which further intensify ecological stress. Africa contributes less than 4% of global emissions, yet it pays a high price for a crisis it did not create. Adaptation finance remains insufficient, has declined in recent reporting years, and rarely reaches frontline communities. Without more grant-based, locally accessible funding, Africa risks escalating poverty, displacement, and ecosystem collapse.
Weak pesticide regulations and limited enforcement capacity create another dangerous gap. Harmful chemicals circulate with little oversight, damaging beneficial insects, contaminating water sources, and disrupting ecological processes essential to healthy ecosystems.
Closing the Gap
Protecting bees is not only a regional or continental issue; it is critical for global food security. Africa’s pollinator vulnerability threatens biodiversity, farmer livelihoods, and the stability of agricultural markets. Urgent action is necessary.
Africa can begin by implementing National Pollinator Strategies aligned with the Convention on Biological Diversity. Governments must also strengthen pesticide regulations so the continent does not become a dumping ground for harmful chemicals. Integrated pest management should be made a priority.
Governments should invest in research, monitoring, and evaluation to guide effective action. Without reliable scientific data, targeted responses will remain difficult. Habitat restoration through agroecology and landscape planning, especially in and around major cities, should also be expanded. International support, including technology transfer and financing, will be critical to closing the gap.
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