Evaluation of the Pollination Ecosystem Service of the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Based on a Beekeeping Model in Hungary

Apiaries must be ecologically and economically sustainable to provide pollination as a unique ecosystem service. Pollination as an ecosystem service is economically, socially, and environmentally irreplaceable. Therefore, it is essential to improve the profitability of beekeeping activities, which a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2023-07, Vol.15 (13), p.9906
Main Authors: Ferenczi, Aliz Feketéné, Szűcs, Isván, Gáthy, Andrea Bauerné
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural economics
Agricultural production
Analysis
Apiculture
Apis mellifera
Beekeeping
Bees
Economics
Ecosystem services
Ecosystems
Honey
Honeybee
Pasture
Plant reproduction
Pollination
Rural areas
Sustainability
Valuation
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Summary:Apiaries must be ecologically and economically sustainable to provide pollination as a unique ecosystem service. Pollination as an ecosystem service is economically, socially, and environmentally irreplaceable. Therefore, it is essential to improve the profitability of beekeeping activities, which are mainly carried out in rural areas. With this in mind, the main objective of this article is to assess pollination as one of the ecosystem services provided by bees, based on the specificities of Hungarian honey production. The authors’ analysis is based on a Hungarian apiary with 300 colonies active in migratory beekeeping. The model farm produces a wide variety of honey thanks to its migratory beekeeping, visiting several bee pastures during the beekeeping season. This paper presents an approach to quantify the ecosystem services provided by honey bees (Apis mellifera) using two economic valuation methods (productivity change and surrogate market goods) belonging to the family of cost-based valuation. The results of the monetary valuation of the ecosystem services provided by bees can provide a starting point for further research to help decision-makers and farmers to calculate a fair “pollination fee” for beekeepers, which will significantly help beekeepers to maintain beekeeping, an important and beneficial activity for all of us.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su15139906