The Insect Pollinators Initiative

The Insect Pollinators Initiative (IPI) was set up in 2010 in response to increasing concerns about a potential pollinator decline and the effect this could have on our food security. Recognising that maintaining and promoting pollination diversity is likely to be vital to ensure future global food security the IPI is funding nine research projects aimed at understanding the complex biological and environmental factors that adversely affect insect pollinators and their ecosystems. This article gives an overview of the various projects and how the contributing teams have progressed their scientific investigations during the first two years of their research.