Pollinators provide economic incentive to preserve natural land in agroecosystems

Abstract Natural habitats are considered inherently indispensable to the global economy by conservationists, but few natural ecosystems afford direct and quantifiable economic benefits. Quantification of natural land value can provide compelling evidence favoring preservation over development. Wild bees are important pollinators of many crop plants, and natural patches in agroecosystems enhance pollinator services and crop yield. Bee abundance was greatest in canola fields that had more uncultivated land within 750 m of field edges and seed set was greater in fields with higher bee abundance. A cost–benefit model that estimates profit in canola agroecosystems with different proportions of uncultivated land is presented. Yield and profit could be maximized with 30% of land uncultivated within 750 m of field edges.

[1]  Achim Gathmann,et al.  Foraging ranges of solitary bees , 2002 .

[2]  Neal M. Williams,et al.  Crop pollination from native bees at risk from agricultural intensification , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[3]  H. Mooney,et al.  Human Domination of Earth’s Ecosystems , 1997, Renewable Energy.

[4]  J. W. Bruce,et al.  The causes of land-use and land-cover change: moving beyond the myths , 2001 .

[5]  Neal M. Williams,et al.  The area requirements of an ecosystem service: crop pollination by native bee communities in California , 2004 .

[6]  D. Goulson,et al.  Use of genetic markers to quantify bumblebee foraging range and nest density , 2004 .

[7]  D. Roubik,et al.  Pollination of cultivated plants in the tropics. , 1995 .

[8]  T. Tscharntke,et al.  Pollination, seed set and seed predation on a landscape scale , 2001, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[9]  M. Winston,et al.  WILD BEE ABUNDANCE AND SEED PRODUCTION IN CONVENTIONAL, ORGANIC, AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED CANOLA , 2005 .

[10]  Gretchen C Daily,et al.  Economic value of tropical forest to coffee production. , 2004, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[11]  Carsten Thies,et al.  CONTRIBUTION OF SMALL HABITAT FRAGMENTS TO CONSERVATION OF INSECT COMMUNITIES OF GRASSLAND–CROPLAND LANDSCAPES , 2002 .

[12]  I. Steffan‐Dewenter.  Landscape context affects trap‐nesting bees, wasps, and their natural enemies , 2002 .

[13]  Don R. Reynolds,et al.  A landscape‐scale study of bumble bee foraging range and constancy, using harmonic radar , 1999 .