Ecosystem services mapping for municipal policy: ESTIMAP and zoning for urban beekeeping

Models of bee responses to land use and land cover changes in agricultural landscapes - a review and research agenda

Predictive modelling tools can be used to support the design of agricultural landscapes to promote pollinator biodiversity and pollination services. Despite the proliferation of such modelling tools in recent decades, there remains a gap in synthesising their main characteristics and representation capacities. Here, we reviewed 42 studies that developed non-correlative models to explore the impact of land use and land cover changes on bee populations, and synthesised information about the modelled systems, modelling approaches, and key model characteristics like spatiotemporal extent and resolution. Various modelling approaches are employed to predict the biodiversity of bees and the pollination services they provide, with a prevalence of models focusing on wild populations compared to managed ones. Of these models, landscape indicators and distance decay models are relatively simple, with few parameters. They allow mapping bee visitation probabilities using basic land cover data and considering bee foraging ranges. Conversely, mechanistic or agent-based models delineate, with varying degrees of complexity, a multitude of processes that characterise, among others, the foraging behaviour and population dynamics of bees. The reviewed models collectively encompass 38 ecological, agronomic, and economic processes, producing various outputs including bee abundance, habitat visitation rate, and crop yield. To advance the development of predictive modelling tools aimed at fostering pollinator biodiversity and pollination services in agricultural landscapes, we highlight future avenues for increasing biophysical realism in models predicting the impact of land use and land cover changes on bees. Additionally, we address the challenges associated with balancing model complexity and practical usability.

The influence of model choice and input data on pollinator habitat suitability in the Hannover region

The habitat suitability for pollinators is an important factor for biodiversity and crop-based ecosystem services. Most flowering plants, including wild plants, rely on pollination ecosystem services for fructification and reproduction. Suitable nesting sites and accessible floral food resources are crucial to the abundance of pollinator insects. Therefore, the suitability for pollinators and the pollination service itself are influenced by the type of land use, the composition of the land cover and structures in the landscape. One way to estimate pollinator habitat suitability is to use computer models such as ESTIMAP and InVEST. Both models calculate the habitat suitability based on spatial land use data and their suitability as nesting and feeding habitats. Besides the decision for a model, the selected spatial dataset also has important effects on the modelling results. In Germany, a large number of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) datasets is available, such as the European CORINE Land Cover, CORINE Urban Atlas, Biotope types, ATKIS or Open Street Map. These datasets differ in terms of spatial and thematic resolutions, LULC types, and abundance of structural elements, which are crucial input factors for modelling with ESTIMAP and InVEST. We applied and tested both models on the basis of two different datasets in the study area Hannover region in central Germany. A literature-based estimation and expert-based questionnaire determined the biophysical properties required for modelling with ESTIMAP and InVEST. The differences between the results based on two different spatial datasets and the differences between the models were estimated and the results that can be obtained by using freely available data were investigated and compared with the results based on non-publicly available data. The comparison of the results shows that the proportion of near-natural structures in the landscape are a decisive factor for modelling results. The comparison of the models shows that ESTIMAP estimates a higher influence of small structures in the landscape than InVEST, resulting in a higher pollinator habitat suitability. The median similarity index of the two models is between 0.68 to 0.93 for the highly detailed biotope type dataset and 0.40 to 0.79 for the less detailed Corine dataset. The results provide a guidance on how to choose the appropriate model and data to assess pollination ecosystem services.

Using Analytic Hierarchy Process to Assess Beekeeping Suitability in Portuguese Controlled Areas: A First Approach

Beekeeping management is greatly influenced by spatial factors (e.g., land use/land cover, roads, or electrical energy networks), so GIS are a powerful tool to overlap and relate a variety of spatial data levels and, consequently, a very useful tool for beekeeping activity planning. This study was developed within the intervention area of three controlled zones managed by Portuguese Beekeepers Associations. The methodology, based on multi-criteria decision analysis, integrates several criteria, such as hydrographic networks, road networks, soil occupation, solar radiation, and electromagnetic radiation sources. These criteria were proposed and evaluated through online questionnaires carried out with beekeepers. Concerning the selected criteria and the respective geographical data, the most relevant were land use/land cover and water availability, with a significance of 44% and 24%, respectively. The beekeeping suitability map enabled us to evaluate the degree of compliance for the actual location of apiaries, with 60% of the apiaries being installed in high potential areas. In the context of beekeeping planning, the potential of the techniques applied seems to be an important tool for optimizing the location of apiaries and the profitability of beekeeping.

Why bees are critical for achieving sustainable development

Reductions in global bee populations are threatening the pollination benefits to both the planet and people. Whilst the contribution of bee pollination in promoting sustainable development goals through food security and biodiversity is widely acknowledged, a range of other benefits provided by bees has yet to be fully recognised. We explore the contributions of bees towards achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our insights suggest that bees potentially contribute towards 15 of the 17 SDGs and a minimum of 30 SDG targets. We identify common themes in which bees play an essential role, and suggest that improved understanding of bee contributions to sustainable development is crucial for ensuring viable bee systems.

Creating urban green infrastructure where it is needed - A spatial ecosystem service-based decision analysis of green roofs in Barcelona

As cities face increasing pressure from densification trends, green roofs represent a valuable source of ecosystem services for residents of compact metropolises where available green space is scarce. However, to date little research has been conducted regarding the holistic benefits of green roofs at a citywide scale, with local policymakers lacking practical guidance to inform expansion of green roofs coverage. The study addresses this issue by developing a spatial multi-criteria screening tool applied in Barcelona, Spain to determine: 1) where green roofs should be prioritized in Barcelona based on expert elicited demand for a wide range of ecosystem services and 2) what type of design of potential green roofs would optimize the ecosystem service provision. As inputs to the model, fifteen spatial indicators were selected as proxies for ecosystem service deficits and demands (thermal regulation, runoff control, habitat and pollination, food production, recreation, and social cohesion) along with five decision alternatives for green roof design (extensive, semi-intensive, intensive, naturalized, and allotment). These indicators and alternatives were analyzed probabilistically and spatially, then weighted according to feedback from local experts. Results of the assessment indicate that there is high demand across Barcelona for the ecosystem services that green roofs potentially might provide, particularly in dense residential neighborhoods and the industrial south. Experts identified habitat, pollination and thermal regulation as the most needed ES with runoff control and food production as the least demanded. Naturalized roofs generated the highest potential ecosystem service provision levels for 87.5% of rooftop area, apart from smaller areas of central Barcelona where intensive rooftops were identified as the preferable green roof design. Overall, the spatial model developed in this study offers a flexible screening based on spatial multi-criteria decision analysis that can be easily adjusted to guide municipal policy in other cities considering the effectiveness of green infrastructure as source of ecosystem services.

Wild pollinator activity negatively related to honey bee colony densities in urban context

As pollinator decline is increasingly reported in natural and agricultural environments, cities are perceived as shelters for pollinators because of low pesticide exposure and high floral diversity throughout the year. This has led to the development of environmental policies supporting pollinators in urban areas. However, policies are often restricted to the promotion of honey bee colony installations, which resulted in a strong increase in apiary numbers in cities. Recently, competition for floral resources between wild pollinators and honey bees has been highlighted in semi-natural contexts, but whether urban beekeeping could impact wild pollinators remains unknown. Here, we show that in the city of Paris (France), wild pollinator visitation rates are negatively correlated to honey bee colony densities present in the surrounding landscape (500m -slope = -0.614; p = 0.001 -and 1000m -slope = -0.489; p = 0.005). Regarding the morphological groups of wild pollinators, large solitary bee and beetle visitation rates were negatively affected by honey bee colony densities within a 500m buffer (slope = -0.425, p = 0.007 and slope = - 0.671, p = 0.002, respectively) and bumblebee visitation rates were negatively affected by honey bee colony density within a 1000m buffer (slope = - 0.451, p = 0.012). Further, lower interaction evenness in plant-pollinator networks was observed with high honey bee colony density within a 1000m buffer (slope = -0.487, p = 0.008). Finally, honey bees tended to focus their foraging activity on managed rather than wild plant species (student t-test, p = 0.001) whereas wild pollinators equally visited managed and wild species. We advocate responsible practices mitigating the introduction of high density of honey bee colonies in urban environments. Further studies are however needed to deepen our knowledge about the potential negative interactions between wild and domesticated pollinators.

How smart is smart growth? Examining the environmental validation behind city compaction

Smart growth (SG) is widely adopted by planners and policy makers as an environmentally friendly way of building cities. In this paper, we analyze the environmental validity of the SG-approach based on a review of the scientific literature. We found a lack of proof of environmental gains, in combination with a great inconsistency in the measurements of different SG attributes. We found that a surprisingly limited number of studies have actually examined the environmental rationales behind SG, with 34% of those studies displaying negative environmental outcomes of SG. Based on the insights from the review, we propose that research within this context must first be founded in more advanced and consistent knowledge of geographic and spatial analyses. Second, it needs to a greater degree be based on a system's understanding of urban processes. Third, it needs to aim at making cities more resilient, e.g., against climate-change effects.

Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF) on honey bee queen development and mating success

Mobile phones can be found almost everywhere across the globe, upholding a direct point-to-point connection between the device and the broadcast tower. The emission of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) puts the surrounding environment inevitably into contact with this radiation. We have therefore exposed honey bee queen larvae to the radiation of a common mobile phone device (GSM band at 900 MHz) during all stages of their pre-adult development including pupation. After 14 days of exposure, hatching of adult queens was assessed and mating success after further 11 days, respectively. Moreover, full colonies were established of five of the untreated and four of the treated queens to contrast population dynamics. We found that mobile phone radiation had significantly reduced the hatching ratio but not the mating success. If treated queens had successfully mated, colony development was not adversely affected. We provide evidence that mobile phone radiation may alter pupal development, once succeeded this point, no further impairment has manifested in adulthood. Our results are discussed against the background of long-lasting consequences for colony performance and the possible implication on periodic colony losses.

Mapping and assessment of ecosystem condition and ecosystem services across different scales and domains in Europe

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