IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i8p3242-d1374853.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An Economic Cost/Benefit Tool to Assess Bee Pollinator Conservation, Pollination Strategies, and Sustainable Policies: A Lowbush Blueberry Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Francis A. Drummond

    (School of Biology and Ecology, The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA)

  • Aaron Kinyu Hoshide

    (College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences, The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
    AgriSciences, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Sinop 78555-267, MT, Brazil)

Abstract

Lowbush blueberry is a mass-flowering plant species complex that grows in both unmanaged wild landscapes and managed agricultural fields in northeastern regions of both the USA and Canada. During pollination, more than 120 native bee species are associated with lowbush blueberry ecosystems in Maine, USA, in addition to three commercially managed bees. Over a 29-year period, we sampled 209 lowbush blueberry fields using quadrat and transect sampling, recording both native bee and honey bee densities, honey bee hive stocking density, and native bees as a proportion of total bees. These data were used to simulate economic uncertainty in pollination. We developed a novel algorithm, the Economic Pollinator Level (EPL), to estimate bee densities that economically warrant pollination investments such as rented hives and planting bee pastures. Statistical modeling indicated both native bee and honey bee activity density predicted proportion fruit set in fields. Honey bee activity density was well predicted by hive stocking density. Proportion fruit set adequately predicted yield. EPL was most sensitive to fruit set/m 2 /bee and less dependent on berry weight, rented hive stocking density, hive rental cost, lowbush blueberry price, and the annual cost of planting/maintaining pollinator pastures. EPL can be used to sustainably balance economical pollination investments/decisions with bee conservation in lowbush blueberry crops and potentially other pollinator-dependent crops.

Suggested Citation

  • Francis A. Drummond & Aaron Kinyu Hoshide, 2024. "An Economic Cost/Benefit Tool to Assess Bee Pollinator Conservation, Pollination Strategies, and Sustainable Policies: A Lowbush Blueberry Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-28, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:8:p:3242-:d:1374853
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/8/3242/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/8/3242/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gallai, Nicola & Salles, Jean-Michel & Settele, Josef & Vaissière, Bernard E., 2009. "Economic valuation of the vulnerability of world agriculture confronted with pollinator decline," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(3), pages 810-821, January.
    2. Rafaella Guimarães Porto & Rita Fernandes Almeida & Oswaldo Cruz-Neto & Marcelo Tabarelli & Blandina Felipe Viana & Carlos A. Peres & Ariadna Valentina Lopes, 2020. "Pollination ecosystem services: A comprehensive review of economic values, research funding and policy actions," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(6), pages 1425-1442, December.
    3. Simon G. Potts & Vera Imperatriz-Fonseca & Hien T. Ngo & Marcelo A. Aizen & Jacobus C. Biesmeijer & Thomas D. Breeze & Lynn V. Dicks & Lucas A. Garibaldi & Rosemary Hill & Josef Settele & Adam J. Vanb, 2016. "Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being," Nature, Nature, vol. 540(7632), pages 220-229, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Silvia Novelli & Monica Vercelli & Chiara Ferracini, 2021. "An Easy Mixed-Method Analysis Tool to Support Rural Development Strategy Decision-Making for Beekeeping," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, June.
    2. Giulia Capotorti & Simone Valeri & Arianna Giannini & Valerio Minorenti & Mariagrazia Piarulli & Paolo Audisio, 2023. "On the Role of Natural and Induced Landscape Heterogeneity for the Support of Pollinators: A Green Infrastructure Perspective Applied in a Peri-Urban System," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-29, January.
    3. Piotr Gradziuk & Krzysztof Jończyk & Barbara Gradziuk & Adrianna Wojciechowska & Anna Trocewicz & Marcin Wysokiński, 2021. "An Economic Assessment of the Impact on Agriculture of the Proposed Changes in EU Biofuel Policy Mechanisms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Tremlett, Constance J. & Peh, Kelvin S.-H. & Zamora-Gutierrez, Veronica & Schaafsma, Marije, 2021. "Value and benefit distribution of pollination services provided by bats in the production of cactus fruits in central Mexico," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    5. José Luis Molina-Pardo & Emilio Rodríguez-Caballero & Miguel Cueto & Pablo Barranco & Manuel Sánchez-Robles & Azucena Laguía-Allué & Esther Giménez-Luque, 2021. "Effects of Agricultural Use on Endangered Plant Taxa in Spain," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-25, November.
    6. Carturan, Bruno S. & Siewe, Nourridine & Cobbold, Christina A. & Tyson, Rebecca C., 2023. "Bumble bee pollination and the wildflower/crop trade-off: When do wildflower enhancements improve crop yield?," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 484(C).
    7. Elena Gazzea & Péter Batáry & Lorenzo Marini, 2023. "Global meta-analysis shows reduced quality of food crops under inadequate animal pollination," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Jorge Ortega-Marcos & Violeta Hevia & Ana P. García-Nieto & José A. González, 2022. "Installing Flower Strips to Promote Pollinators in Simplified Agricultural Landscapes: Comprehensive Viability Assessment in Sunflower Fields," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-13, October.
    9. Rafaella Guimarães Porto & Rita Fernandes Almeida & Oswaldo Cruz-Neto & Marcelo Tabarelli & Blandina Felipe Viana & Carlos A. Peres & Ariadna Valentina Lopes, 2020. "Pollination ecosystem services: A comprehensive review of economic values, research funding and policy actions," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(6), pages 1425-1442, December.
    10. Bin Han & Jiangli Wu & Qiaohong Wei & Fengying Liu & Lihong Cui & Olav Rueppell & Shufa Xu, 2024. "Life-history stage determines the diet of ectoparasitic mites on their honey bee hosts," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    11. Bo Han & Li Zhang & Lili Geng & Huiru Jia & Jian Wang & Li Ke & Airui Li & Jing Gao & Tong Wu & Ying Lu & Feng Liu & Huailei Song & Xiaoping Wei & Shilong Ma & Hongping Zhan & Yanyan Wu & Yongjun Liu , 2023. "Greater wax moth control in apiaries can be improved by combining Bacillus thuringiensis and entrapments," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    12. Semeraro, Teodoro & Pomes, Alessandro & Del Giudice, Cecilia & Negro, Danilo & Aretano, Roberta, 2018. "Planning ground based utility scale solar energy as green infrastructure to enhance ecosystem services," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 218-227.
    13. Balzan, Mario V & Caruana, Julio & Zammit, Annrica, 2018. "Assessing the capacity and flow of ecosystem services in multifunctional landscapes: Evidence of a rural-urban gradient in a Mediterranean small island state," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 711-725.
    14. Smith, Helen F. & Sullivan, Caroline A., 2014. "Ecosystem services within agricultural landscapes—Farmers' perceptions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 72-80.
    15. Kathrin Stenchly & Marc Victor Hansen & Katharina Stein & Andreas Buerkert & Wilhelm Loewenstein, 2018. "Income Vulnerability of West African Farming Households to Losses in Pollination Services: A Case Study from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-12, November.
    16. Grazia Zulian & Joachim Maes & Maria Luisa Paracchini, 2013. "Linking Land Cover Data and Crop Yields for Mapping and Assessment of Pollination Services in Europe," Land, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-21, September.
    17. Paul L. G. Vlek & Asia Khamzina & Hossein Azadi & Anik Bhaduri & Luna Bharati & Ademola Braimoh & Christopher Martius & Terry Sunderland & Fatemeh Taheri, 2017. "Trade-Offs in Multi-Purpose Land Use under Land Degradation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-19, November.
    18. Lippert, Christian & Feuerbacher, Arndt & Narjes, Manuel, 2021. "Revisiting the economic valuation of agricultural losses due to large-scale changes in pollinator populations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    19. Morgane Barbet-Massin & Jean-Michel Salles & Franck Courchamp, 2020. "The economic cost of control of the invasive yellow-legged Asian hornet," Post-Print hal-02548072, HAL.
    20. Nicolás Ruiz, Néstor & Suárez Alonso, María Luisa & Vidal-Abarca, María Rosario, 2021. "Contributions of dry rivers to human well-being: A global review for future research," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:8:p:3242-:d:1374853. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.