Bees have been declared the most important species on Earth

According to The Science Times, bees were declared the most important species on the planet by the Earthwatch Institute in the last meeting of the Royal Geographical Society of London.

These insects are a crucial part of our ecosystem as they pollinate more than a hundred types of crops including fruits, vegetables and nuts that make up a substantial part of our overall diet.

In May, McDonald's opened a tiny 'restaurant' for bees:

Apples, cherries, pears, broccoli, asparagus, peaches, celery, citrus fruits and cucumbers are just some examples of fruits and vegetables which need bees to fertilise the flowers so that they will develop.

Without these hugely vital pollinators, there would be much less food in the world as they are the world's main pollinator of food crops.

In fact, it has been estimated that as much of 70 per cent of the world’s agriculture depends exclusively on bees. And worryingly, a number of vegetation species would become extinct if bees weren't around to pollinate them.

But in spite of how undeniably significant a role bees play in terms of our diet, in October 2016, seven species of bees were added to the endangered species list, as per The Guardian.

Credit: 1977

And according to Greenpeace, in 2016, the United States lost an astonishing 44% of honey bee colonies.

The Science Times report that it is the uncontrolled use of pesticides, deforestation and lack of flowers that have led to a significant decline in the number of bees.

The stats are alarming and it is becoming increasingly evident that something needs to be done to save our dwindling bee population. Fortunately, there are people out there who are doing what they can to do just that.

In March this year, Hollywood A-lister Morgan Freeman transformed his vast 124-acre ranch in Mississippi into a giant bee sanctuary.

Check out the interview below:

"There is a concerted effort for bringing bees back onto the planet," the legendary actor told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. "We do not realize that they are the foundation, I think, of the growth of the planet, the vegetation."