Earlier this year, the first global thematic assessment from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) evaluated the state of knowledge about pollinators and pollination (1, 2). It confirmed evidence of large-scale wild pollinator declines in northwest Europe and North America and identified data shortfalls and an urgent need for monitoring elsewhere in the world. With high-level political commitments to support pollinators in the United States (3), the United Kingdom (4), and France (5); encouragement from the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD's) scientific advice body (6); and the issue on the agenda for next month's Conference of the Parties to the CBD, we see a chance for global-scale policy change. We extend beyond the IPBES report, which we helped to write, and suggest 10 policies that governments should seriously consider to protect pollinators and secure pollination services. Our suggestions are not the only available responses but are those we consider most likely to succeed, because of synergy with international policy objectives and strategies or formulation of international policy creating opportunities for change. We make these suggestions as independent scientists and not on behalf of IPBES.

• Background and Aims Floral nectar concentration and chemical composition of 26 plant species native to the temperate forest of southern South America are reported and the relationships with the flower type are evaluated. • Methods Nectar concentration was measured with a hand refractometer and sugar composition was analysed by gas–liquid chromatography. Plant species were classified into flower type categories based not only on floral features but also on data from the literature and field observations on their pollinators. • Key Results Most data on nectar are new reports at the generic and/or specific level. Plant species in which more than one population was studied showed significant among-population variation in nectar sugar concentration and composition. Results showed a weak relationship between nectar traits and flower type. Many species had nectar containing 50 % or more sucrose (17 of 26 species), independent of the main pollinator. • Conclusions Considering that (a) nectar characteristics did not show a clear association with different flower types or with plant taxonomic membership, and (b) different populations of the same species showed large variability in sugar composition, the results suggest that other factors (e.g. historical and environmental) could be involved in determining the sugar composition of the highly endemic plant species from this region.