Roadmap for action on the environmental risk assessment of chemicals for insect pollinators (IPol‐ERA)

Abstract

Approaches integrating interdisciplinary perspectives are necessary to address currentand futurehealth and environmental challenges. Many policy initiatives have embraced more holistic approaches to tackle these challenges, e.g.,the One Health concept, the Farm to Fork (F2F),Biodiversity and Chemicalstrategieswithin the European Green Deal and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Insect pollinators are an excellentexample of the One Health conceptand havegained renewed focus through the EU Pollinator Initiative. Insect pollinatorsare essential for healthy dietsby providing pollination servicesandmaintaining biodiversity and healthy ecosystem functions. For this reason, they are part of the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) of chemicals, such as plant protection products (PPPs). However, an ERA of PPPs canalign with and embracethese more holisticconcepts and strategiesby evolving towards asystems-based approachthat recognises the diversity and the important roleplayed by insectpollinators(e.g., pollinationservices for food security),as well as the variety of habitatsand contextsthey live inwith their multiple stressors,andwhere PPPs may be used. A roadmap has been developed to determine the steps and actions needed to progress ERA methodologies and tools for insect pollinators. This roadmap is based on a review of the latest scientific knowledge,determining key areas for development to advance ERA, andidentifying expertise and networks needed to fosterprogressive dialogueand public acceptance. The roadmap proposesseveral actions to generate the necessary knowledge to advance methodologiesand toolswithin the current ERA framework,initially for chemical PPPs but extendable to other regulated chemicals. In addition, it outlines the actions needed to build the frameworkand thecollaborativeactivities required to realise the transition to a systems-basedERA for insect pollinators by 2030.