Pollination Security Status Report 2026

New national pollination report and consultation now open

Australia’s first Pollination Security Status Report 2026 has been released, providing a national assessment of pollination security across agriculture, ecosystems, biodiversity and socio-cultural values.

The report establishes a baseline for how Australia’s pollination system is changing over time, drawing on new modelling, economic analysis and industry data.

Key findings

• Threats to pollination include habitat loss, climate change, land use change, pests and diseases, severe weather events, altered flowering patterns and other environmental stressors. These are compounded by structural pressures within the commercial beekeeping industry, including labour shortages, an ageing workforce, rising biosecurity requirements, imported adulterated honey and increasing varroa management costs.
• New modelling suggests Australia’s pollination system could face a potential shortfall of approximately 290,000 commercial honey bee hives during peak pollination periods under most likely future scenarios.
• Pollination security affects more than agriculture. It underpins food production, biodiversity, ecosystems and socio-cultural values.
• Pollination plays a vital role throughout Australia, supporting communities, diets, cultural practices, ecotourism and natural landscapes. It underpins everyday life in ways that are often unseen, yet essential. Many of these realities are difficult to quantify and are often undervalued.
• Australia lacks coordinated national monitoring systems for pollinators and pollination services. Significant knowledge gaps remain around feral honey bees, native pollinators and the broader impacts of pollinator decline.

What’s next?

The report will now inform the development of the Australian Pollination Strategy, which is entering its national consultation phase.

You’re invited to contribute

The Australian Pollination Strategy team is inviting input from everyone involved in pollination to help test findings, identify gaps and shape future priorities.

Read the report and contribute here

This article appears as part of the 3 July 2026 issue of Guacamole, our e-Newsletter.