POLLINATORS POLLINATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION

THE ASSESSMENT REPORT ON POLLINATORS, POLLINATION AND FOOD PRODUCTION
TABLE 6.4.4
Summary of evidence for responses relating to pollinator management and beekeeping
408
6. RESPONSES TO RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSOCIATED
WITH POLLINATORS AND POLLINATION
Response
(section of chapter
6)
Build markets for
managed pollinators
(6.4.4.3)
Community
engagement through
participatory
processes
(6.4.4.4)
Voluntary codes of
practice
(6.4.4.4)
Better education
(farmers, beekeepers)
(6.4.4.5)
Maintain and
document traditional
and indigenous
knowledge
surrounding
beekeeping and
honey hunting
(6.4.4.5)
Monitor and evaluate
managed pollinators
(6.4.4.5)
Quantify the
benefits of managed
pollinators (valuation
incentives)
(6.4.4.5)
Main driver(s)
(section of
chapter 2)
Pollinator
management
(2.3.3)
Pollinator
management
(2.3.3)
Pollinator
management
(2.3.3)
Pollinator
management
(2.3.3)
Pollinator
management
(2.3.3)
Pollinator
management
(2.3.3)
Pollinator
management
(2.3.3)
is positive for conservation because smaller urban habitat
fragments generally harboured lower bee species diversity
than larger (Viana et al., 2006; Nemésio and Silveira, 2007;
Hinners, 2008). This has been further supported in studies
from Germany (Dauber et al., 2003), Brazil (Zanette et al.,
2005; Martins et al., 2013), Sweden (Ahrné et al., 2009),
UK (Bates et al., 2011), Switzerland (Sattler et al., 2010)
and USA (Tonietto et al., 2011; Hostetler and McIntyre,
2001), but there are huge remaining knowledge gaps for
other countries. Restoring grasslands, even if not targeted
specifically for pollinators, can provide valuable habitat
(Tarrant et al., 2013). For instance, Cane et al. (2006) found
that bee species diversity in Tucson, Arizona in the USA
was reduced in small and older desert fragments, but bee
abundance was similar to that found in continuous desert
patches outside the urban area, which confirms the value
to conserve remnant habitat. Also, the diversity of pollinator
traits such as nesting habits, diet or body size were affected
by habitat loss due to urbanization, which may alter the role
of pollinators for ecosystem functioning (e.g., Banaszak-
Cibicka and Zmihorski, 2012; Zanette et al., 2005; Bates et
al., 2011, Sattler et al., 2010).
Type of
response Status Scientific evidence
Economic Proposed Limited assessment ESTABLISHED BUT INCOMPLETE
Social /
behavioural
Social /
behavioural
Tested
Tested (ILK)
Limited assessment of effectiveness, but widespread
agreement that collaborative engagement would be beneficial
ESTABLISHED BUT INCOMPLETE
Limited assessment of effectiveness. Some examples from
indigenous and local knowledge. INCONCLUSIVE
Knowledge Tested While there is widespread agreement that better education
could lead to improved pollinator and pollination outcomes,
this concept has not been formally tested. ESTABLISHED BUT
INCOMPLETE
Knowledge Tested There is strong agreement of the value of such a proposition,
but it needs more concrete assessment ESTABLISHED BUT
INCOMPLETE
Knowledge Established Large-scale monitoring programs have been shown to
effectively collect and synthesize information on threats
to honey bees, allowing coordinated responses (WELL
ESTABLISHED), but such programs remain untested in other
pollinator species
Knowledge Proposed Large-scale efforts to quantify the economic value of managed
pollinators are useful but inherently give large value ranges
ESTABLISHED BUT INCOMPLETE
Little is known about how the flow of genes might be
supported by maintaining habitat in urban settings.
Conserving remnant habitat in urban landscapes may
enhance genetic flow among pollinator populations. In a
unique study, Jha and Kremen (2013) examined regional
genetic differentiation of Bombus vosnesenskii across
a landscape mosaic of natural, agricultural, urban and
suburban habitats. They found that B. vosnesenskii
regional gene flow is most limited by commercial, industrial
and transportation-related impervious cover linked to
urbanization. Importantly though, the effects of urbanization
are not common across all studies; several show no
negative impact of urbanized landscape on local pollinator
communities (Bates et al., 2011), and urban areas can
become important habitat for pollinators in intensively
managed landscapes (Baldock et al., 2015). Also, when a
statistically significant relationship has been found, some
of the previously mentioned studies show that urbanization
explains a low proportion of the variation in pollinator
community composition compared with other local and
landscape factors. Conservation of pristine habitat should,
thus, be combined with other actions to support pollinators
in urban landscapes (e.g., Bates et al., 2011; Sattler et
al., 2010).