Sumbal Shoukat*1, Tahseen Javaid2, Fakhar-Ur-Rasool-Arbi3, Saima Sher Afghan4, Fatima Tariq5, Misbah Batool6, Zainab Touqeer7, and Aqsa8
1Department of Zoology, Government College Women University Faisalabad; 2Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan; 3Department of Microbiology, University of Haripur
*Corresponding author: sumbalshoukat83@gmail.com
Pollinators are a vital part in supporting nearly every agricultural system in the world because they provide pollination which is necessary in the reproduction of most crops that people consume. The resilience and productivity of ecosystems depend on biodiversity among the pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds, bats, beetles, and flies among others. About three-fourths of the major food crops in the world are animal-pollinated, which directly contributes to raising crop yields, quality and nutrition. Pollinator numbers, however, are under severe pressure as the result of habitat loss, exposure to pesticides, climate shift, and monocrolting. Existence of these threats do not only pose risk to the ecological balance but also to the global food security and rural livelihoods. This review discusses the fascinating ecosystem of pollinators, their functional capacities in the agricultural environment, and the detail relationships between the health of pollinators and sustainable farming systems. It also looks at the recent issues of concern, conservation approaches and new solutions to foster pollinator-friendly farming. By stressing the necessity of implementing pollinator conservation practices as far as their infiltration into agricultural policies is concerned, the review unveils the importance of interdisciplinary research contributions to the pollinator biodiversity protection as a keystone of sustainable development.