Ecological and economic assessment of ecosystem services on the example of pollinating insects

Abstract

The planet is experiencing an era of the sixth mass extinction of biota. Of particular concern is the impoverishment of insect populations, which account for about two-thirds of all biota species on the planet and are important for maintaining ecosystem stability and providing ecosystem services. Plant pollination is one of the most important ecosystem services on which human food security and the functioning of natural ecosystems depend. The economic value of pollination of entomophytic plants by honey bees for global crop production is estimated at $ 518 billion per year. In Ukraine, research on the ecological and economic assessment of ecosystem services is not conducted enough, which determines the relevance of our work. It is established that the total cost of the ecosystem pollination service of only four studied entomophilous crops in Ukraine (sunflower, rapeseed, buckwheat and open ground cucumber) is UAH 149.11 billion, which convincingly demonstrates the economic relevance of preserving the biodiversity of pollinating insects.