The Plight of the Bee:
in
South Africa’s Semi-Deserts
by
Connal Eardley
Agricultural Research Council
Plant Protection Research Institute
Private Bag X134, Pretoria, 0001
vrehcde@plant5.agric.za
South Africa
Habitat
7 South African
Biomes
Habitat
Land
cover
Habitat
Threatene
drare
endemics
Habitat
The Pollination Process
Savanna pastures are wind
pollinated
Karoo pasture is insect pollinated
The Bees
Oligolecty vs polylecty: Who pollinates what in the Cape?
We do not know!
•SA’s winter rain areas more diverse than summer rainfall areas.
•Cape Mediterranean areas less diverse than other such areas.
•Polylecty more common than oligolecty in the Cape.
•Cape Floral Kingdom a unique Zoogeographical Region.
•Cape bees undergone recent adaptive radiation, as in plants.
•Land-use favours polylectic species
•Current land-use threatens bee abundance and diversity.
The Perils for Bees
•Excessive stock.
•Selective grazing and browsing.
•Trampling by stock.
•Removal of dry wood.
•Water pollution by stock.
•Impoundment of water.
•Canalizing of water.
•Insecticides.
•Alien invasive species.
•Bush cutting.
•Replacement of natural vegetation by cultivated pastures.
•Replacement of natural vegetation by crop plants.
The African Pollinator Initiative
The African network for the
Convention on Biological
Diversity’s International Pollination
Initiative
Participation by
interested persons is
encouraged
Objectives of the
International Pollinator Initiative
•Monitor pollinator decline, its causes and impact on
pollination
•Address lack of taxonomic information on pollinators
•Assess economic value of pollination and economic
impact of decline in pollination services
•Promote conservation, restoration and sustainable
use of pollinator diversity
•Encourage use of indigenous pollinators in agriculture
The CBD’s thematic areas for
Agrobiodiversity
Assessment
•Needs: monitoring, taxonomy & information.
•Economic value of pollination.
•Conservation status of pollinators.
Adaptive
Management
•Create management models.
•Investigate trade in pollinators.
Capacity
Building
•Training.
•Data repatriation.
•Policy & networking..
Mainstreaming
•Monitoring status and trends.
•Branding and information
Project Purpose
•Monitor pollinators (diversity & relative abundance) to
obtain base-line data
•Develop databases on pollinators
•Measure change in pollinator diversity and abundance
•Identify causes of change
•Develop models to predict change in biodiversity
(diversity of other groups)
•Identify conservation and restoration strategies
We Need,
for the API in Africa:
• Team effort
• Regional approach
• Standardized methodologies
• Case studies
• Pilot projects
• Policy
Urgent
Conclusions
Land-use management must consider:
• Essential ecosystem services.
• Unique symbiotic relationships.
Land rehabilitated must consider the
complex of organisms associated with
rare/threatened species.
Basic scientific information is needed to:
• Document change in biodiversity .
• To develop adaptive management
practices
To benefit we
must contribute
The End
Acknowledgement:
The Symposium Organizers
CTA
ARC-PPRI
Sarah & Fred Gess