not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Pollinators are unquestionably declining, however, current knowledge on the rate of decline is biased in two aspects which are fragmented (West-dominated) geographic scope and narrow taxonomic focus of studies dominated by bees and agriculturally relevant species. This bias has resulted in an unfortunate imbalance, whereby the most biodiverse regions and insect groups have less diversified data. We suggest the evaluation of four drivers of this bias and propose solutions to deal with (i) concept generalization, (ii) data accessibility, (iii) scattered environmental regulations, and (iv) shifted infrastructure and funding resources. Research and legislation focused on pollinator taxonomic, functional, and environmental diversity, and the involvement of scientists in policymaking, can help balance knowledge on the topic. Using search engines in different languages, assistance of Artificial Intelligence, facilitating Open Access research/data publishing, and closer cooperation between developed and developing countries may help to overcome geographic bias in ecological research and pollination.

Pollinators are unquestionably declining, however, current knowledge on the rate of decline is biased in two aspects which are fragmented (West-dominated) geographic scope and narrow (bee-dominated) taxonomic focus of studies. This bias has resulted in an unfortunate imbalance, whereby the most biologically diverse regions are less furnished with diversified data, and diverse pollinator groups are out of scope. We suggest evaluation of four major drivers of this bias – (i) concept generalization, (ii) data accessibility, (iii) scattered environmental regulations, and (iv) shifted infrastructure and funding resources. We argue that the complex interplay between these drivers has created a bias in knowledge that needs addressing. Using search engines in different languages and closer cooperation between developed and developing countries may help to overcome geographic bias in pollinator studies. The direction of research toward pollinator diversity and involvement of scientists in environmental policies can help to reach knowledge balance on the topic.