Factors Affecting Wild Bee Abundance and Intervention Measures

Wild bees are the main animal pollinators of crops worldwide and are a key component of global biodiversity, providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. At the global scale, decline in bee population and... [ view full abstract ]

Wild bees are the main animal pollinators of crops worldwide and are a key component of global biodiversity, providing vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants. At the global scale, decline in bee population and species diversity as a result of anthropogenic activities and other external factors have raised concerns regarding potential risks to global food security and economic development. Some studies in Kenya have documented changes in diversity and abundance of wild bees, thus recommended for their conservation. To enhance collaborative conservation between community, conservation organizations and policy makers, there is a need for the community to understand the benefits of doing so. Community understanding on value of wild bees would therefore form a base of engaging them in conservation. A study was carried out in Kitui County, Kenya with an aim to understand community local knowledge on: the role of wild bees; factors affecting bees´ role; and, community efforts in wild bee’s conservation. To collect data, a semi structured questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 134 households in Kitui County.  Three Focus Group Discussions were also conducted and they targeted farmers within the County. All respondents interviewed valued bees for honey production whereas the knowledge on pollination services by bees was inadequate. Respondents admitted a decrease in bee population in the area and this was attributed to change use of in organic farm inputs, loss of bee habitats as a result of various land uses, drought, pests and diseases.  Respondents have used their local knowledge and informal institutions (norms and taboos) to conserve bee flora and habitats. Through government and development partners’ initiatives, community in the study areas have economically and socially benefitted from honey production and other bee products and this form an incentive for bee conservation. Community local knowledge is key in understanding the potential or drawbacks of their engagement in conservation of wild bees and the surrounding ecosystem. Therefore, government and other representatives should share relevant information and policies as well as initiate capacity building activities that would enhance community engagement in conservation of wild bees and biodiversity as a whole.