Help us Protect Species by Taking our Pesticide Pledge

Pollinators are critically important to our global food production and nutritional security. Estimates suggest that pollinators directly contribute US$235–$577 billion to global food production each year. Without pollinators, many of the foods we depend on would become scarce, putting life on our planet at risk.

Bees are the best documented species, and reports from beekeepers and scientific surveys estimate dramatic declines in bee populations around the world. In fact, 40 percent of pollinator species — such as bees and other flying insects like the Monarch butterfly — are facing extinction across the globe. A recent study indicated there was a 76% loss of flying insect biomass in the last three decades.

The culprits behind the dramatic decline include intensive agricultural practices and pesticide use; alien invasive species; diseases and pests; and climate change.

Research indicates that pesticides, chiefly neonicotinoids, are a leading threat to pollinator populations across the planet. Neonicotinoids or neonics kill insects by attacking their nerve cells. Many insects poisoned with neonics suffer uncontrollable twitching, shaking, paralysis, or death.

We need pollinators to ensure the persistence of our crop yields and ensure healthy sustainable ecosystems now and in the future. We can’t afford to continue contributing to the collapse of pollinator species and the decline of their populations. Help protect pollinators by pledging to go pesticide-free!

Thank you for pledging to stop your use of pesticides.