Pollinators provide pollination services that are crucial for the productivity of agricultural and natural ecosystems. It has been estimated that over three-quarters of the world’s crops and over 80% of all flowering plants depend on animal pollinators, especially bees. Globally, the annual contribution of pollinators to agricultural crops has been estimated at about USD 200 billion. However, pollinator populations and diversity are declining worldwide. This presents a serious threat to agricultural production affecting the livelihoods of farmers, national agricultural economies, and food security. This study assesses the economic value of pollination services, especially by insect pollinators, to agriculture in selected areas of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region in order to highlight the need for initiatives to address the problem. The methodology is based on the use of dependence ratios that quantify the impact of a lack of insect pollinators on crop production value. The study estimates the total economic value of insect pollination for the crops and areas covered by the study the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Chinese Himalayan provinces, for Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir in the northwestern Indian Himalayas, Uttarakhand in the central Indian Himalayas, and the Himalayan region of Pakistan to be nearly USD 2.7 billion dollars annually. The study also looks at the vulnerability of different crop categories to pollinator decline. The findings highlight the importance of pollinators and pollination services in the HKH region and support the conclusion that the countries of the region must include provisions for management and conservation of pollinators as a vital part of their agricultural policies and plans so as to improve the food security and livelihoods of mountain farmers.
