Saving bees or sustaining industry? Challenging neoliberal narratives in North American pollinator research and conservation

Interest and concern about insect pollinators have surged over the past two decades, between both researchers and the public. This attention has coincided with, and been shaped by, the emergence of the ecosystem services framework to quantify and justify the value of biodiversity to humans.

Drawing from perspectives in agroecology, political ecology, and science and technology studies, we use bibliometric analyses and a survey of North American pollinator researchers, conducted in 2024, to critically examine how pollinator research has been shaped by the prevailing logics of industrial agriculture and neoliberal conservation frameworks.

We argue that economic justifications for pollinator conservation—while effective in gaining public and policy attention—often depoliticize the root causes of pollinator decline. These include pesticide use, habitat loss and climate change, all of which are structurally linked to industrial agriculture.

Survey responses revealed widespread concern about pollinator conservation, but a disconnect between the scale of the threat and the proposed interventions. Notably, politically challenging interventions like pesticide bans or systemic agricultural reform were rarely proposed, even when acknowledged as critical.

We contend that this disconnect reflects the internalization of dominant market‐based ideologies in conservation science, limiting the field's ability to imagine transformative change. We call for a shift towards ‘non‐reformist reforms’ that address underlying power structures and promote alternatives to industrial agriculture and neoliberal conservation.

Emphasizing the political nature of pollinator research, we encourage scientists to interrogate their own research framing, engage in systemic critique and advocate for policy changes that support biodiversity and equitable food systems.