INTERREG-SUDOE Polita Project: Promoting the biodiversity of pollinators and arthropods beneficial to agriculture.

The agricultural sector in the Sudoe region is of great economic and social importance, but in recent decades it has undergone a transition towards a model based on intensive farming practices and the extensive use of agrochemicals. This shift has led to an increase in monoculture farming, the suppression of non-cultivated habitats and species, and has resulted in the simplification of landscapes and soil degradation, thus accelerating the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats in agroecosystems.

Although biodiversity loss is a widespread phenomenon, some of the most affected species are pollinating insects, spiders, and other arthropods. These creatures are a key component of biodiversity and provide essential services for crops, such as pollination, improved soil fertility, and natural pest control.

Furthermore, their interaction with surrounding vegetation helps transfer beneficial microorganisms to plants, improving their development and promoting microbiodiversity in crops. In the current context of the progressive reduction of pesticides and the search for more sustainable agricultural practices, arthropods can contribute to stabilizing changes in crops and improving the long-term productivity and resilience of agricultural systems. However, despite the fundamental role they play in ecological balance and agricultural productivity, their populations, especially insects, are declining at an alarming rate.