World Bees Day 2026, for Sustaining the People and Planet

By – Dr. N. Munal Meitei
World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20 since 2018 by the United Nations, to raise awareness about the vital role of the Bees as the pollinators in the global food security and ecosystem service. The theme for 2026 is “Bee together for people and the planet. A partnership that sustains us all,” focused on protecting these species as a pollinator which play the vital role in keeping the people and planet alive.
Bees and human have been working together for centuries to nourish and sustain the environment. It also highlights the evolution of beekeeping across diverse cultures and landscapes over thousands of years to improve the health and livelihoods.
This day also focussed to raise awareness on the declining the pollinators, threats to their habitat and to promote actions that support biodiversity, sustainable development and global food security. This also emphasize how both traditional knowledge and modern technologies can contribute to sustainable beekeeping, and how partnerships and inclusive approaches can help to secure a sustainable future for both pollinators and people.
There are 20,000 different species of Bees around the world but only 7 of them are honeybees. We often take nature for granted. But we don’t think about the pivotal role that all of life’s creatures play. However, this day gives us perfect opportunity to pay honor to the incredible creatures that play critical role in our ecosystem and environment.
Pollinators, such as Bees, birds, butterflies and bats, play a vital role in the health of plants, animals, people and the environment. They help feed the world to contribute to 35% of the world’s total crop production, supporting 87 of the 115 leading food crops, including fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. These crops are critical for diverse diets and livelihoods. Without pollination, yields decline, food becomes scarcer and more expensive – placing food security and the livelihoods of farmers and communities at risk.
Bees and pollinators are essential for the natural reproduction and genetic diversity of plants, which helps enhance their resistance to pests, diseases and climatic conditions. Healthy, resilient plants may require fewer chemical inputs like pesticides, which, if not used properly, can pose risks to pollinators. Practices such as integrated pest management and agro-ecological approaches help manage plant health in ways that also safeguard pollinators and ecosystems.
Pollinators are indicators of environmental health. Because they are sensitive to ecosystem disruptions, monitoring pollinator health offers vital clues about wider environmental threats. When pollinator populations decline, food production and essential ecosystem services are affected, triggering a feedback loop that worsens both environmental and human health. Protecting pollinators is therefore critical to safeguard the ecosystems that sustain plant, animal and human health.
A world without pollinators will be like a world without living beings. But the Bees who take the lead role in pollination are in brink of extinction. Bees are indispensable pollinators, essential for the reproduction of many plants, including crops that form the backbone of our food supply. It is estimated that Bees pollinate approximately 75% of the world’s flowering plants and about 35% of global food crops. This encompasses a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Without Bees, many of these plants would face severe declines in productivity, leading to food insecurity and unavailability.
Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are keys to conserve biodiversity. The economic value of Bees as pollinators is immense. Globally, the contribution of pollinators to agriculture is estimated to be between Rs. 19,646 and Rs. 48,237 billion annually. This figure reflects the enhanced yield and quality of crops facilitated by pollination. In one study where pollination was well-managed, the farmed crop yields increased by 24%.
Intensive farming practices, land-use change, habitat loss, mono-cropping, pesticides, higher temperatures associated with climate change, diseases and parasites all pose problems for Bees population. If this trend continues, nutritious crops, such as fruits, nuts and many vegetable crops will be substituted increasingly by staple crops that do not need pollinator like rice, corn and potatoes, eventually resulting in an imbalanced diet. However, many of the very nutritious foods, like fruits, some vegetables, seeds, nuts and oils, would disappear without pollinators.
Pollination is a fundamental process of survival for our ecosystems. To create an environment where bees can thrive, recognising their health is inextricably linked to our own. Bees and other pollinators, such as, butterflies, birds, moths, beetles and even bats are increasingly under threat from human activities.
It’s all about the circle of life, and we should do our bit to help on saving the Bees and hence, to save Bees; planting a diverse set of native plants, flowering at different seasons; avoiding pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in our gardens and field; protecting wild bee colonies when possible; sponsoring a hive; making a bee water fountain by leaving a water bowl outside; helping sustaining forest ecosystems; raising awareness by sharing the information within the communities and networks.
Bees are more than just honey producers; they are vital to our food security, economy and biodiversity, regenerating the forests. Thus, the importance of Bee is crucial, let’s save these hard-working endangered creatures for a healthy Environment.
(The author is Environmentalist, presently working as DFO/Chandel. [email protected])