Kudos to Susan Thapa for the short yet outstanding article “Save Bees, Save Humanity” (THT, February 6, Page 8). Ecology, economy and food security are in danger due to dwindling number of honey bees around the planet.

I would just like to add that in addition to honey bees, several species native (indigenous) bee species, moths and butterflies, pollination friendly species of beetles and flies, pollinator birds like different species of humming birds and other small passerine species contributing to cross pollination; as well as different bat species helping in nocturnal pollination are seriously endangered and pushed towards extinction due to various detrimental anthropogenic factors like pollution, over application of agro-chemicals, change in land use patterns, lack of foraging plant species and rapid degradation of their natural habitats.

As latest research has found that several species of snails and slugs (mollusks), reptiles and amphibians are also involved in cross pollination of several endangered plants in exotic and remote tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems.

They are also unfortunately being threatened with extinction due to encroachments by humans into their sensitive and highly fragile ecological habitats sensitive to any kind of anthropogenic disturbances. It is sad that humanity is failing to be truly humanitarian in saving several highly valuable pollinator species across the green planet and jeopardising both our ecological as well as economical future. Long term comprehensive conservative measures are hence needed to protect all these pollinator species in their natural habitats.

Saikat Kumar Basu, Canada

Still No.1

Roger Federer from Switzerland marked his amazing lawn tennis career with yet another success.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion emerged victorious once again in the final of the Rotterdam Open. He not just recorded an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov but also became the oldest world No. 1 in ATP history at the age of 36. His ascendancy to the top of the ranking table began with him reaching the semi-final of the tournament once he got the better of local favourite Robin Haase.

The victory has now assured that he has overall 97 titles in the sport with most of them coming in hard court. Still he isn’t in the mood to give up and is marching ahead because he is preparing himself mainly for this year’s French Open although the tournament will be an uphill task for him to win. Now it’s time that even Nepali lawn tennis players learned from the Swiss about how to perform well against any opponent in the sport no matter whatever the condition is. Only then will there be development of good playing culture.

Cricket has attracted a large number of youths in Nepal, but lawn tennis has not because the National Sports Council has not given much importance to it. This can be one of the sports in which Nepali youths can do well in the future.

Pratik Shrestha, Buddhanagar