With the projected changes to our climate, it is more important than ever to understand the role pollinators play in our ability to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Our rich and abundant wild pollinator communities in southern Ontario include over 350 different bee species, wasps, butterflies, beetles, flies, moths, and hummingbirds who provide pollination services to urban and community gardens, crops in intensive agricultural systems, native plants in green spaces, and our residential flower gardens.
It’s been estimated that over 3/4 of wild plant and crop species are dependent on or benefit from insect pollination, and approximately 1/3 of the food we eat needs insect pollination.
These pollinators are providing a critical ecosystem service: they move pollen from flower to flower, allowing the plant to produce fruit and seed through cross-fertilization, creating more redundancy of species which helps buffers us against stressors like new diseases and extreme weather events.
In partnership with Sheila R. Colla, PhD, Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies, York University, we're exploring the impacts climate change is having on our pollinator communities and how you can help. In this educational resource, we provide an overview on the important work of Souther Ontario pollinators, the challenges they face today and highlight simple ways you can take action and support the conservation of pollinators and in turn, create a more resilient climate.
Read the full report and summary below:
This report is one installment of the Greenbelt's In a Changing Climate series. For this ongoing project, the Foundation continues to partner with experts to better understand how climate change is affecting many aspects of our lives, and ways that we can individually and collectively respond to these challenges. Click here to explore other reports and expert interviews in this series.
Cover photo by Olivia Lane