Baseline Assessment of Insect Pollinators in Agroecosystems of Rwanda: a baseline perspective for pollinator conservation

Pollinators in Rwanda remain poorly studied despite their significant economic value, estimated to contribute over US $100 million annually to crop production. While some research has been conducted on honeybees, little is known about other pollinators such as butterflies, beetles, moths, and others. A major gap exists in comprehensive baseline data on pollinator diversity and distribution, making it difficult to design effective conservation strategies. We used sweep nets and pan traps to sample insect pollinators along 1 km transects in agricultural areas across 5 agroecosystems. Surveys documented pollinator abundance, diversity, and their associations with crop flowering stages and habitat structure. A total of 99 insect species were recorded, with Apis mellifera emerging as the predominant species across all sites, indicating that these agroecosystems continue to support essential pollination services. Hymenoptera dominated other orders, reflecting their critical role in crop pollination. Across all agroecosystems, pesticide application was consistently identified as the primary threat, with notably reduced pollinator abundance and richness in areas of frequent and recent pesticide use, signaling ecosystem stress. Pollinator presence varied with crop flowering stages and habitat structure, highlighting the importance of temporal and spatial factors in pollinator community dynamics. We observed that reducing pesticide pressure, raising awareness on pollinator importance and strengthening sustainable pest management are essential for pollinator conservation and agricultural resilience.